Hey:

Hey!

Ok, so this week passed by pretty quick... and not much to say, haha.

THis week we were going to have a baptism, of a sister now really prepared!  But she hasn't decided to completely live the gospel right now... which is pretty sad, but we are still going to work with her, for the day that she can get baptized. :)  

We had divisions with the STL this past wed-thurs, but just my luck, i got sick on tuesday... so we couldn't work much at all, and stayed inside.  Haha mom, don't worry, i just have the flu, nothing more.  But it is a little frustrating working with a cold. haha... but I love the members here, they were so willing to help out, and a brother was able to give me a blessing, and his wife called to check up the next day to make sure everything was going well.

We had a great blessing with a few of our investigators attending church yesterday, they all seemed really happy to be there!  I think we are progressing little by little, we have a few investigators who have gone to church for a while now, we just need to be patient with them as they accept the gospel. 

I have loved what I have been studying lately in the scritpures, and I only wanted to share a few verses from Alma 37 (my favorite chapter)

44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word ofChrist, which will point to you a straight course to eternalbliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass,which would point unto them a straight course to thepromised land.

 45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? Forjust as surely as this director did bring our fathers, byfollowing its course, to the promised land, shall the wordsof Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond thisvale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.

Don't forget to read your scriptures... every day!  :)  haha

Oh, and yesterday we got to have a 12 weeks training meeting in Morelia!!!!! WOOHOO! So we drove past my area.. and I was super happy. :)  And I got to see a few of my old comps and friends from the mission.  And as always, my mission pres. and his wife are the sweetest. 

love you all!

Hermana Zimmerman

 my comp and i eating pizza at our reunion of the 12 weeks training

 our district... well this pic did not turn out well at all, but i am sure the other missionaries have a better pic. :)

 me in front of my old chapel

 my comps (2 of them) from the MTC!  Right now the 3 sis. from the MTC are in the same zone... #notfair

 my 'daughter', haha the first sister i trained sent me a t-shirt from Zihua. :) with another present, she is the best

 hna. moncada, she heads home in a week! :) 

my new friend.. haha a sister's dog who reminds me of a great white shark, but in dog form

 

Hey :D

Hola!

Ok, things in my area are going pretty well, we have a lot of work to do, lots of people to reactivate, lots of people to find and teach... lots do to.  But that is great. :)

We have been seeing a lot of progress in a few of our investigators, little by little and with patience, we should be seeing success soon. :)  

Some blessings from this past week-

1-Hna. S. (reactivated) and her friend investigator hna. M. fasted yesterday and paid their fast offering!!! Also, the husband of hna. S. continues to progress really well, went to church yesterday for the second time, and paid his tithing (even though we haven't talked about it yet... but his wife had been wanting to obey that law, so he wanted to as well!)  Also, her son-in-law who is also listening to our message is getting friendshipped by the young adults in the ward, and told us that yesterday the bishop had asked them all to fast, so when we went to teach them yesterday in the morning he was all 'i haven't eaten since yesterday!'  maybe he doesn't understand exactly what is the fast... because we haven't got there yet, but he did it anyway. :)  

Also, because yesterday was Hno. J. (Hna. S.'s husband) birthday, we gave him a Book of Mormon, and he was super happy because he had been reading his wife's copy, but asked us for his own.  'Best birthday present ever'- he told us. 

Fun facts- last week in our zone meeting we got new rules!!! Or better way of saying it... we got rid of some of the rules that our old president had established... they were good, and I respect my old mission president, but now I feel a little more free. :)  haha, now we can have more time to write, zone activities, and a lot more things... yay!  So today we had our zone activity, and we invited the youth from our wards to come.  We played volleyball and soccer, ate hamburgers, and played with water balloons, and as we all know, we all got soaked.  But it felt soooo good with this hot weather.  I am still a little wet now, but it feels good. 

I just wanted to extend a quick invitation to everyone to invite someone to listen to this message- the Restoration of the Gospel, you can share it with someone who doesn't know the gospel, a less active, or even study it out for yourself, and pray and ask God if it is true. :)  

Have a great week!  

p.s.  I completed 16 months yesterday.... yikes.. time is now going fast.. 

love you!

Hermana Zimmerman

 Zone meeting last Friday

 Activity with our zone :D

 

WAHHH!!!‏

First off, I am terrible coming up with subjects for my letters.. But anyway..

HEY!  This week was a week where to be honest we didn't have hardly any time to work which was disappointing, literally about one full day to work, because we went to FSY!!!!!!!!!!, had interviews, preparation day, and on our weekly planning day we got totally lost because we didn't eat in our area.... (same ward, but this ward is big).  

Here are a few random stories or miracles I was able to see this week.

1-Hna. S (now active member)- ever since we found her she has been reading the Book of Mormon and reading the Ensign (or here in Mexico la Liahona) and she told us about how for a long time she was looking for the truth, but didn't know where to find it.  Until my comp and I talked to her!  That made me think of the statement in PMG (there are many who are looking for the truth, but don't know where to find it)..-true statement.

2-We contacted her husband (of Hna. S) last week with her whole family, and this past sunday we went and taught them again!  The first time I went on splits, and taught the Restoration.  At the end as I invited the husband Hno. J. to be baptized he basically rejected it... well 'if he received an answer' and also rejected coming to church the next sunday (or yesterday) because of soccer.  Anyway, yesterday at church, you wouldn't have guessed who showed up in sunday dress- HNO. J!!!  I asked Hna. S. how she got her husband to come to church, and she said that he surprised her.  Usually he leaves at 8 a.m. to go to soccer, but he got up at 11, and starting getting ready.  His wife asked him where he was going and he said 'to church!'  He stayed the whole time, and after we asked how he liked it, and everything went well. Even though he told my comp 'it's your fault I am here today.' ;)  Later when we went to visit him, his wife and another investigators who is friends of Hna. S. (and has been listening to us for about 2 months.) we saw another miracle.  The whole lesson i felt the spirit very strongly, and felt the need to invite him to be baptized again, so my comp felt the same impression, and invited him and he accepted, with a date as well!!! It went soo well, I know it only came from the spirit, and the faith and prayers of his wife.  He told us 'I went to church today with the intention to stay'.  It was one of the most powerful lessons of my mission... After our other investigator also accepted a new baptismal date...  wow :) 

Then, like I said in my last email WE WENT TO FSY!!!!!!!  On wednesday, I was seriously sooo happy... When I had left my last area I had to say goodbye to a family we had been teaching, and then got baptized while I was here in Guad.  But I saw them there at FSY!  To explain a bit...

The youth were already in a big room.. and had an introduction to missionary work from my mission presidents, and then they started singing  'called to serve' and on the 3rd verse we walked in with our companionships singing as well.  After we sang 'the Army of Helaman' and it was soo powerful.. many were crying.  After as we were dividing into groups within the first 5 minutes I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was one of my converts from Lazaro!!!!! He and his sister were there and I can't even explain it... but it made me miss them a whole lot, but made me so happy that there family is still going to church.  

At FSY we learned how to teach the Restoration in 7 minutes using the pamphlets, it is now super useful because usually when we teach the restoration it takes at least 45 minutes, and the investigators don't understand that well.  But with this new method, we can teach a lot clearer, and shorter!  We taught a few members this past week this lesson, and a family that has been less active for a while came to church yesterday! 

Yesterday, because a lot of the youth from our ward went to FSY, in sacrament meeting they all shared their testimonies.  And basically all of them want to go on missions now, and want to share the gospel.  I also got to see a lot of other youth from my other areas, and I am just really grateful I got to go, because not all of the missionaries here in Guadalajara got to go.  

Also, one of our investigators is sharing the gospel with her brother, and she said that he is usually really grumpy and not nice to people, but last monday he listened!!!! And that investigator is also changing a lot.  :)  Chain reaction.. 

Shout out to my dad- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  :)  

that's about it... wooooo :)  love you all! have a great week!

Hermana Zimmerman

 this is a pic from FSY with all of the missionaries that went!! We had about 800 youth at FSY, and we were about 50 missionaries. :)

 photo from where we ate on thursday... pointing to my area

 photo from my area, showing where we ate... SO FAR AWAY, and up a hill.. but pretty view.

Eating pizza while waiting for interviews with Pte...

 

WOW! Seeing Success :)

Hey everyone!!

So, things in my area are going really well so far.  This past week I had some of the best results? (or goals..?) that I have had in a while, and we almost completed with all of our goals.  WOOT! 

For starters- last monday we contacted a reference from the other ward we share our chapel with, and it is a FAMILY!  They are so great, the parents and 2 of the kids have accepted to be baptized, and they have a lot of desire to learn more and accept the gospel.  The dad has known the church for about a year now and has been to a few of the other chapels here in Guadalajara, but his whole family came on sunday!  He has expressed to us his sincere desire to be baptized, and how he would like to be sealed to his family.  Yesterday after church we went to visit them, and the dad told us 'I prayed.. and now I am here.'  He has a lot of faith that his family will accept this gospel.  Today his son left to FSY (EFY)!  

Then, SUPER FUN, we had a ward activity!! Like I said last week- 'Viaje a Hawaii!!'  We constructed a plane in the church, and the 3 glories.. we had investigatores enter the plane, where we had pilots and flight attendents, snacks and everything.  They started off the plane ride, and then the plane 'crashed' (with suuuper cool sound effects) and they all 'died'.  But then my comp and I greeted them and showed them the 3 kingdoms of glory, where they could go after this life.  It was super fun, we had a few investigators show up, including the new family, and members, that also really enjoyed it. :)  And afterwards we all got coconuts.

So Hna. S. (the reactivated sister) has been working hard so that her whole family also listens to our message, so her son-in-law came to church for the 2nd time yesterday, and after church we went and visited them, and everyone was there!  Her husband, her son and daughter, the son-in-law, and her nephew who also wants to listen.  She has only been active for about 2 months now, and is already helping us out a lot.  

The only real bummer is that 2 couples we have been teaching, decided to seperate... the the person in the couple that wanted to get baptized, and will be getting baptized moved out of our area... but it is fine, the most important is that they get baptized. :) 

In other words, we finally had to drop an investigator Hna. R.  The sad thing is that she really knows that this church is true, she just isn't willing to come to church.. someday, she will know. 

We just got news today that we are going to visit FSY on wednesday!!!!! :)  If all goes well.... I might get to see my converts!!! :)

Have a great week!!! 

Hermana Zimmerman

 

sidenotes...

this week we finally cut our front lawn.. it was getting pretty bad. 

I just got my itinerary for when I am getting home... WHAT?!

 

 

 coconuts we handed out after the activity.

 the whole crew!  -pilots, actors of the kingdoms of glory, and the aeromosas (? sorry, the word in english has left me..)

your ministering angels to visit the kingdoms of glory. :)

cutting our lawn!! :D

 

Seeing progress.. :)‏

Hey everyone!

So this week was pretty great, and this round training, isn't as hard as the first time... haha I feel a lot more prepared.  But my comp has been great this past week, helpful and came very prepared. :)  

In the past 3 months with my first comp we worked really hard to be able to know the are, find people to teach, know the members and really be their friends (but there are a ton of members here so it is kind of hard) and help reactivate the less-actives.. haha well, the usual.  As we had been working, yes we did see a lot of miracles while Hna. Lopez was here, but this week was even more of a miracle, as we were able to invite a few of the investigators we had already been teaching to be baptized and they accepted!!!!! We finished the week with the most baptismal dates I have had in a while. The best was with a current investigator Hna. M, a reference from a less active we have been working with.  In these past 2 months she did not want to accept a baptismal date, and I am sure it was the spirit, but last friday she finally accepted!!! The coolest thing with her is really see her change.  In my mission I felt like I haven't been in the full progress of a change of someone, but knowing here since the beginning, ahh... she now comes regularly to church, and really is a lot happier than when we found her. 

I just wanted to share a quick story about the sister we found Hna. S. who got baptized when she was 8, but hadn't been to church in 38 years until we talked with her in the street.  So we have been trying to find a way to also teach her family, and we always ask if there is a time we can visit them, but still haven't come up with an appointment.. But she has been doing her part, leaving the Book of Mormon in places in the open where her husband or her kids can see it and read it.  She says that her husband now reads more than she does. :) She also shared with us that a member gave her a copy of the Ensign, and the past week she had a lot of questions, and every night when she went to read the Ensign, there she found her answer!! #WordsOfTheProphet And she told us that her daughter's boyfriend has had a rough past, but he wants to change.  So late at night, the past week, he told her that she couldn't go to church on sunday without him.  And yesterday he came!!! And really liked it, so she is doing her part, and really... I love her. :) 

Yesterday we were able to contact a family, who the husband got baptized when he was about 9, but then moved and hasn't been to church in almost 20 years as well.  And his wife isn't a member, but we had a good first lesson with them yesterday, and they commited to come on saturday to an activity we are going to have, and on sunday we are going to pass by to go with them to church! 

Random... so last week about thursday, when I went to get ready to bed I walked into the bedroom, and saw a few white-ish spots on my bed and on my comp's bed.. that looked like poop... so I started looking everywhere thinking 'oh no, I hope there isn't a rat... but why is there poop inside of our house???' so I asked my comp to come look, and we started searching... basically we found A BIRD inside of our house!!  Don't ask me how it got in, I have no clue.  But we scared it out... that is probably one of the weirdest things that has happened so far in the mission...  (haha Sis. Kem Thompson, this reminded me of you) ;)

In other news, this saturday we are going to have a ward mission activity that is going to be SUPER awesome!  I will send you pics next week, but basically, we are going to hawaii!! ;) haha, I'm stoked.

Hope you all have a great week! Love you!

Hermana Zimmerman

 Here is my new comp, from last week when I picked her up.  Haha sorry the pic isn't that good, and we haven't taken pics since... But she's great ;)

 The bird that we found in our bedroom that had pooped on our beds... 

our zone! with our banners

 sweet investigators we are teaching. :)  one of my last pics with sis. lopez

sorry the pic doesn't look good at all, but that is what a part of my area looks like!

 

THE LAST 12...

Hey everyone!

Ok, so this week I have now entered into my last 12 weeks as a missionary... wahhhh..

So we did have transfers.. and like everything has gone in the mission with transfers 'Hna. Lopez, you will be leaving your area.. and Hna. Zimmerman, you will be staying.....' the normal.  But with a twist, I am training again!  Her name is Hna. Rodrigo, her first 12 weeks and my last.. but we will make them the best. :)  Oh, and also because I am staying I will have had 6 months in my first area, 6 in my 2nd, and i will now finish in my 3rd area with 6 months... Ándale pues

So my new comp is from Peru, my first comp that isn't from Mexico.  She is great, and I am excited! 

Last week Pte. and SIs. Camarillo left us, and we recieved our new presidentes Egginton!  They are super sweet, and tenderhearted.  I love them already.  They are excited to be here, and pte. served in Uruguay as of 40 years ago!  But he and his wife are ready to lead the mission, and help us out.  And then on friday we had our zone conference completely different from how we normally have it.. but it was also good. Learned a lot more about how to apply the book of mormon, and how to teach better the Sabbath Day.. 

The area is going pretty well, we have a few people who we are teaching who are coming to church, for now they just haven't accepted baptism.. but pronto for sure. :)  

Today I was reading in Alma 17, and thought of my ex-missionary friends..

 2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the timethe angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma didrejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what addedmore to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord;yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of thetruth; for they were men of a sound understanding andthey had searched the scriptures diligently, that theymight know the word of God.

 3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to muchprayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit ofprophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when theytaught, they taught with power and authority of God.

I love it.

Have a great week everyone!!!

Love,

Hermana Zimmerman

sorry no pics, i forgot my camera.

Goodbye Pres. and Sister Camarillo

Hi everyone!!!!

Ok, lots happened this week... here we go:

Last tuesday we had our last zone conference with Pte. and Sis. Camarillo and it was great.  We focused a lot on the book of mormon, how we need to use it in the work.  Also pte. asked all of us to sack out the BoM that we had brought with us, and only a few of us had them, luckily I was one of the few.  On a spiritual note-So.. you should always be prepared with a Book of Mormon in hand, because you never know when you are going to run into someone and the spirit tells you to give one to them.  I also focused a lot last week looking up and using scriptures in the BoM instead of the Bible, because really the BoM is the key to our religion, and the key to conversion.  I made a lesson plan about tithing with using onlyscriptures from the BoM and it turned out to be a great lesson.  

Bye presidente Camarillo... bienvenido Pte. Eggington!!! 

On saturday we had the batism of Hna. G!!! I know I've already talked about her.. but to refresh.. the first saturday here we visited her daughter who is a recent convert of last year, and on sunday she came to church (hadn't been in a while) and brought her mom!  When we visited her the next week she told us that last year she wasn't ready, but when we got there she knew it was now her time.  For all of her assignments she wrote a little summary, and wow.  She is the best.  After her baptism she grabbed my hand and told my comp and I- 'thank you so much for guiding me to this point.'  I felt soo... wonderful, and blessed.. and it was just a great feeling.  Also seeing her daughter give her a hug (who isn't baptized) and hearing them crying and saying how blessed they are and how happy they felt, and hopefully the daughter will have the opportunity to be baptized soon as well. 

After that we went to the temple!!!! WOOHOO!!! After 14 months of not going... no we couldn't enter, but being outside with our investigators and recent onvert and less actives, it was great.  

One of our investigators Hno. M. got sick last week, but was able to listen to the CD's we gave him of the Book of Mormon, and said he felt the spirit when he listened to them.  Last sunday he almost got asked to work but he told his friend, 'no, I will go to church.' 

I read 2 talks from gen. conf. that I want to invite you to read.. sorry I don't know what they are called in english, so look them up... 'Ser Genuinos' and 'La generacion mas grandiosa de jovenes adultos' or something like that... they are from the Priesthood Session.  Especially if you a serving a mission, want to serve, or have served, READ THEM!  They helped me a lot. 

Well today we receive our new president, I don't know when we will get to meet him, but I will miss Pte. Camarillo and his wife and daughter a lot... 

Yesterday was also a great day, we did 2 splits with members to cover appointments, and in the night our meetings got canceled.  So I went with the bishop's wife to visit a less active family that we hadn't met, and had a lesson  with the daughter who is 15 yrs. old (well, thursday..).  I can't explain much, but it was a powerful lesson.. with tears.. but tears are good. :)

I will finish with the questions that came in one of the talks, he explains that this is a personal invterview, so I invite you all to take this personal interview, and let it help you change anything that you feel that you lack, that you want to change, or even just to make yourself better than you already are.

1. 1. 
   Do you search the scriptures regularly?
2. 2. 
   Do you kneel in prayer to talk with your HeavenlyFather each morning and each night?
3. 3. 
   Do you fast and donate a fast offering each month—even if you are a poor, struggling student who can’tafford to donate much?
4. 4. 
   Do you think deeply about the Savior and Hisatoning sacrifice for you when you are asked toprepare, bless, pass, or partake of the sacrament?
5. 5. 
   Do you attend your meetings and strive to keep theSabbath day holy?
6. 6. 
   Are you honest at home, school, church, and work?
7. 7. 
   Are you mentally and spiritually clean? Do youavoid viewing pornography or looking at websites,magazines, movies, or apps, including Tinder andSnapchat photos, that would embarrass you if yourparents, Church leaders, or the Savior Himself sawyou?
8. 8. 
   Are you careful with your time—avoidinginappropriate technology and social media, includingvideo games, which can dull your spi itual sensitivity?
9. 9. 
   Is there anything in your life you need to changeand fix, beginning tonight?

This next week are transfers... we will see what happens!  

love you all, have a great week!!!

Hermana Zimmerman

 Goodbye to Pres. and Sister Camarillo and their daughter (on the left) They will be missed!

 Silly faces :D

 Baptism of Hna. G!  And her daughter on the left. 

 Super happy- we made it to the temple!!!! 

pic in front of the temple with a few of the people we are teaching. :)