7/18/16

11 Months of hearing me blab

Hey people. This week has been one for the memory books. On Monday we had our first lesson with Victoria. It couldn't have gone much more perfect. We went over the restoration and it's comforting to teach someone you know is smart so you can count on them understanding you. Even though I still suck at teaching haha. She understands why we have the Book of Mormon, and is going to read! When we invited her to be baptized she said yes! We're not too sure on the date yet because she'll be going to college in the beginning of August so.. The Iversons did a great job at testifying and teaching her. It was great. Her only question she had heard about before was baptisms for the dead. Not a very hard one to explain. The theme of the lesson if put in sentence would be. God has restored his church to bless families and to let every individual have a fair chance to accept Christ. Victoria is the most solid person I've ever taught on my mission.

On Tuesday I hit my 11 months as a missionary! Pretty hard to believe. I barely have more months than less. Shout out to my friend in the MTC who'll read this and be a whoppin 4 weeks out. Good luck Elder Perry. I went on exchanges with Elder Duffy, we had a good time. Relived some High School days together. The highlight of the day was when we went to a pretty vacant park, we didn't know what was going to happen but we were going to be there. We walked near a pavilion that had 5 burly men taking a break from their landscaping job. We wanted to talk to them but how do you just walk up to a group of people and bring up the gospel in a not weird way? I remembered a trick from Pitt I'd use on the daily: ask them for help. So we went up and I asked where the closest gas station was. Immediately they all were helping us out and being really kind. Easily us being missionaries came up because they knew we weren't from there. Bada Boom bada bing I gave them a articles of faith card so they know what us lost Mormons believe in. They also let us take pics in their BobCat. For lengths sake I'll finished the day at that.

Thursday was a good day. We got to start calling bingo at a old folks place. It's super fun and they are a hoot to be around. We got to talk with 3 of them about being missionaries and a bit about the church so it's a awesome way to start preparing souls for the spirit world! Lol. Oh I have to tell you what their all trying to win by playing bingo! When you win you get a coupon that is worth five cents, that they can redeem at their shop. What they all aim for earning is 6 coupons to buy a single banana! Hahaha, what a great deal! After we went up to Lititz' cute little Main Street. It was a sweltering 96 degrees with at least 60% humidity. We were roasting. I voted to go to an ice cream shop to cool off. I got to talk to the girl working there about her hat which said Messiah on it, which lead to her school, leading us to her beliefs, then mine, then a Book of Mormon was given to her. She said she's always interesting in learning about other religions so I told her that if she read it she'd know for sure. She was pretty awesome, I got a punch card for the shop. If I'm going to try to convert this girl the least I can do is go seven times and get the eighth free!

Friday we visited Ralph and Bro Maninger. Had a dinner with a member at Moes. I got my tray of food and put my right hand in my cup. I put the tray on a little ledge that needed to by held up by a hand. Or hip. I reached with my left hand for a cup and my hip lied and the tray started to slip off the counter. In a last second attempt to catch the tray I tried to snag it with my right hand. The same right hand THAT HAD A CUP OVER IT. it all went crashing down in quite the scene. All the Moe'sers made a mock of me. "You Mormons with you bleepin terrible hand eye coordination!" Ok it wasn't that bad.

Saturday we offered to help some older ladies in the ward with yard work. It turned out to be about 3 1/2 hours or weeding in the sun. Wife points for days. Sunday was a good day. I enjoyed church as always. Got to go to gospel doctrine for the first time in my life. We had the second lesson with Victoria on the Plan of Salvation. We made sure we taught her to her understanding but we probably were lacking in the testimony department. Hard balance in a new knowledge lesson like that. She isn't against it, she just needs to think about it and pray over it. She's awesome and the Iverson's are great as well. It's been a really awesome week.

Good luck to elder Davis who's heading out to the wild Baltimore yonder. And I'll be getting a new comp who'll be our district leader.

Elder Simmons

7/11/16

First full week in the Maryland Baltimore Mission and I can say it's not too different compared to last week.

Monday night was the 4th of July, it was rainy and the clouds were low and the sky was just grey. Felt patriotic to say the least. But some fireworks were shot off, we stood in the rain in a members back yard as they and friends were swimming in their well heated pool.. ONE DAY. The highlight of Tuesday was going to Roots. But you say it like Ruts. When I say ruts I feel like I'm vomiting up the alphabet. Gross word but cool market! There was thousands of people there. It had indoor and outdoor stands. Food, cheap clothes, antiques, everything. I was to overwhelmed to think of something to buy. But next time I'll have a list in hand. The place has tons of Amish folks milling around. 50% of the stands were run by Amish. Most of them wear Nikes. Not even kidding. Yet somehow we were the ones getting the stares like we're aliens. One older guy said you Mormons? Yeah-and he quickly said ok, shook his hands at us to say get away from me you roadshow freaks of nature. I only get irked when people don't treat me like a human being. They can ask me any question they want and I won't be offended. But respect, find out what it means to me.

On Wednesday I went on exchanges with elder Gehrke. We had a good time. My only goal was to teach someone, sounds comical but I'm deprived of it. We ended up meeting a older Nam vet named Paul. We taught him the restoration and he ate it up. He also was one of the few that appreciated us and told us how grateful he was for is coming and yada yada. We also had a sweet lesson with one of their investigators with a date and I was happy so see the gospel working so well in some people's lives. So dream accomplished I taught. The other dream was a literal dream I had that night. Before we hit the lights to sleep, I saw not one, not two, but three different bugs right by my bed. I had a weird dream about slaughtering a bug who was a missionary that preached to other insects. Until I destroyed him.

Thursday we had a district meeting on talking to people like we care. Which is one of the few things I'm a advocate of. We watched a district video where the missionaries were OYMing people. To me it was extremely obvious that it was staged. Imagine this you're sitting in a golf cart with your buddy, you see two white boys with shirts and ties walking up to you. Not only are those two there but a camera crew of two guys with cameras and one working a boom mic. Would you ask what's going on? Yes. Would you look directly into the camera because that what everyone human on earth does when they see a camera? Yes. But did they ever look into the camera in the video? nope! And when one of the guys wasn't talking he'd be looking straight in front of him. To make sure he doesn't look at the camera. This is why I'm leaving the church. Just kidding haha.

Friday we had a solid game plan to OYM in Lititz but it got foiled because the rain went ham. Dang. Saturday the highlight was getting to street ball. I'm still had a basketball in my opinion but my confidence while playing a game has improved a lot. It was a good time. One of the guys is friends with a guy who's about to come home from his mission. Sunday Ralph came to church, but left after sacrament meeting. It's pretty rough with the kids for him after decades of a silent audience church. But our plan is to get him a headset. Thanks technology. He also gave a bomb prayer at a fireside that night, so we're not too worried were going to lose him. Well we are because he's almost nighty but that's a different kind of losing him were worried about. We also got a time set up to have a lesson with Victoria for this upcoming week. Good things are in store for us. Oh can't forget brother McFarland repping the ugliest tie known to man that I gave him. We get along quite well.
It's been a good week to be in Legititz!

Elder Simmons

Holdin' toads and takin' names.

Sup last supper

MacFarland repping the grossest tie I could get him.

7/4/16

Well, its been a mad week.

We said goodbye to President and Sister Johnson on thursday, that was a little sad. Everyone gets a hug from PJ when you leave. the only one you'd ever get from that guy. my opportunity got tainted when he came in for a hug which started as a handshake. then he leaned over me and he put an arm around me, then I awkwardly patted his back with my ipad. Disappointing only hug.

In contrast we met President and Sister Christiansen, who instead of shaking our hands came in for the hug. So thats a perk, he also was surprisingly average height, I didn't see that coming at all. Saturday was when we met with them, there's a lot of differences between the two missions but thankfully there's a lot of similarities. We were told that our ipads would be needed to be gotten rid of, but a few weeks to get them ready. Well turns out not really. that night our ipads got wiped of all apps needed for human in-habitation. Gospel library, Areabook, email, imessage, camera. We had no plans for the next day. Its been crazy. With out my journal as my crutch I cant even remember what I did this week. And emailing from a members house on their computer is not my favorite thing.

Something I did learn today was the study of eyes, different parts of your eyes mean different things. So I learned a bunch of things I need to change in my diet. The only reason I believe these voodoo doctory is because she looked at a picture of my eye and was 100% right on my ailments. scary. any ways. oh let us not forget yesterday. we were invited by our bishop to come to a army band performance at a park yesterday. We got there and there's like 7000-10000 people there! It was crazy! we stayed till the fireworks started. America is the best. Changes are hard but I'm still in the best country on the planet so I can't complain.
I'm still alive,

Elder Simmons
MBMgrande