February 4th 2019

So the time is here, 2 more days in the mission field and I can't even believe it. These past 18 months have been an adventure for sure. I was looking back at my 1st mission email I send out and it was just beautiful to see where I began and now, where I end. So much change has happened, and really there is no way to describe these past 18 months. I have learned so much, taught so much, loved so much, worked so hard, and given my all to the Lord. I heave come to love the people of Texas and especially the Latino people here. They for sure have my heart.

Teaching the people in Texas about Jesus and His restored church has been such a humbling experience. It has really refined me and taught me so much about who I am and who I can become. I know that those are direct blessings that come from living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. You are changed. Changed from who you were to who you can become. And thanks to Jesus Christ it's all possible. 

I was reading a talk from this past General Conference called, "For Him"

I am filled with gratitude to be here and to be doing this for Him. The opportunity to serve Him by teaching my brothers and sisters for Him is such a privilege. 

There is a quote in the talk from President Nelson that says, “When we comprehend His voluntary Atonement, any sense of sacrifice on our part becomes completely overshadowed by a profound sense of gratitude for the privilege of serving Him.” I really love that. When we understand His sacrifice, our sacrifice comes out of gratitude for Him. Mosiah 2:17 says, "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." We are all serving in some capacity, it could be service in a calling, being a mother or a father, a friend, a co-worker,  a ministering brother or sister, a grandma, a grandpa, a volunteer, etc. We are all serving others and in turn serving our God. Please continue serving His children and sharing with them the love that God has for them. Show them you care for them, show them you love them, show them that He loves them.

I know that service to others is the way to find happiness and peace in thsi life. Jesus Christ gave His life serving us and we can do the same for Him. I know that Joseph Smith spent his days serving all of us by building the church and bringing forth the Book of Mormon so we could have the blessings of the Gospel now. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that in it's pages we know how it find peace in this life and know why we are here. I know that the prophet Russell M. Nelson is the prophet of God and that he teaches us how to love and serve others by his words and his actions. Jesus Chriat leads and guides the church through Him and the apostles. I know that God lives and that He loves me and you.

Thank you for the kind words you have shared with me and the love you have shown me while I have been out here. 

May God be with you til we meet again!

Hermana Zimmerman

Just Few More Weeks Left!

I am not quite sure how to sum up all that has happened since December 3rd but I think the word marvelous fits nicely. 
I looked back at my last email and it was 43 days ago. The time has been flying here and there is so much that has happened and I don't have too many pictures from all of those days. But it has been beautiful seeing the Lord's hand in all that is going on. There have been ups and downs, Christmas has come and gone, a new year has begun, I've gotten a new companion (Sister Mugleston), and things have been so busy here. I have never felt so tired in all of my life, but all for a good cause. I would never trade it for anything.
I would like to share some thoughts from my scripture studies lately.
I have been trying to use the Come Follow Me manual and it has been so wonderful, such an inspired way of learning in the church. There was a part last week that stuck out to me it says, 

"For whatever reasons, God’s timing meant that the blessing Elisabeth and Zacharias desired, to have a child, came much later than they expected. If you find yourself having to wait for a blessing, or if it seems that God isn’t hearing your prayers, the story of Elisabeth and Zacharias can be a reminder that He hasn’t forgotten you. He has a plan for you, and He always keeps His promises to His righteous Saints. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland promised, “Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come” 

Then there are 3 very beautiful questions:

How did Zacharias and Elisabeth remain faithful? 

Do you find yourself waiting for a blessing? 

What do you feel the Lord expects of you while you wait?

I love these questions! What is the Lord trying to teach us while we wait? We are all waiting for something and if we search for potential lessons we can learn, we will be able to go through our trials with happiness. President Nelson in his talks "Joy and Spiritual Survival" says.

"My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.
When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, which President Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”9 And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!"

I want to testify that Jesus Christ is joy! When we are willing to wait for blessings or things to happen in our lives, we can be joyful. We can fill our lives with light and lasting peace that comes from The Godhead. I want to testify that the tools God has given us to find that joy are the scriptures, specifically the Book of Mormon, specific prayers from the heart, the ability to attend church and partake of the sacrament, a prophet to guide us "to the most fertile parts" (1 Nephi 16:16) of our lives, the priesthood authority to perform the ordinances so we can make covenants and return to live with our Heavenly Father, and temples to continue the covenant making process. I love this Gospel that Jesus Christ simply taught us. This Gospel brings me joy that I cannot fully express, joy that lasts. 

I love all of you and hope that your week is marvelous!

Hermana Zimmerman

1. Sister Hill and I in the car

2. Sister Hill and I in the car again driving to Carrizo for an exchange

3. Jose went to the temple and did baptisms for the first time!!

4. Pants (with Sister Mugleston)!!

5. Last picture with Sister Duran

6. Me with a Tamarindo stick (this has become my new favorite Mexican candy!!)

7. Sister Casperson and I!

8. MLC picture

9. Sister Hill and I parting ways :(

10. Fun birds at the aquarium!

11. Sister Hill and her Tamarindo stick

12. us picking our own oranges!

13. The fun Christmas snowflake stickers we used to make our apartment a winter wonderland

14. Sister Felsted and I on an exchange in Carrizo

15. Sister Mugleston touching an alpaca!

January 8th 2019

Family! 

So today is our preparation day! We had an amazing Mission Conference with Elders Villareal, Ochoa, and Teixeira. They talked about goals, not getting discouraged, talking with everyone we see, and finding the prepared. It was an amazing Conference.

I CANNOT believe that i have less than a month left! It is becoming more real and it's honestly freaking me out... but it will be okay. All of you are great supports so it will be okay. 

How are you doing? 

Mom and Dad, I am really happy  There are always things to overcome, but I am really happy.

Are you feeling better this week?

Yes, things are going well. We have SOOO many people to teach and they are all so close to baptism. I am so excited!

How's the work coming?

Things are so well! We have tons to teach, many people to help, and so many people wanting the gospel, we are struggling to have time to teach them all! I love it!

Were you able to pick up your prescription that Dad called in?

Yes! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! My face was starting to get bad, but now it is a lot better!

I am trying to get the motivation to write in my journal and remember all the things that happened, but we just have no time anymore. There is no down time, but I like it that way. 

Also I have been working on something called "My plan" and it has been amazing. I have been able to really set goals for the future and think about how I want to live my life afterwards.

Life has been insane! I will try to sum it up in a couple bullet points:

*My Spanish has improved a lot! I am so excited about that

*I have been learning a lot lately about life in general and dealing with people. It's been a challenge but it's all good. 

*we have been finding so many people to teach! It is just crazy! Like 5-7 every week! That is a lot for our mission!

*We had had some hilarious experiences talking to people and being in lesson when members do crazy things

*we have 5 exchanges to do these next 4 weeks

*we have had some crazy people to teach who have schizophrenia and talk about their exorcisms

*we will have 2 zone conferences and 2 MLC's (mission leadership conference) this transfer

*Have Elder Teixeira come and really get us all excited about missionary work again

It's just been a crazy time here in the Texas San Antonio Mission! 

Con muchisimo amor 

HERMANA ZIMMERMAN

The Plan of Salvation

I can honestly say that this week has been the hardest week of my mission, but yet the most rewarding. The Lord has taught me so much. I know He is there. I know His Plan of Salvation is real. I know that the Gospel is the only way to real happiness. I know that without a doubt. 

My first area in the mission was Kerrville, TX and the first baptism I had was Sonny Galindo. I had the blessing and opportunity to teach him from the very beginning of his journey with the missionaries. Well on Tuesday the sisters in Kerrville called me and told me that he had just passed away. When I heard the news I didn't know what to think. Sonny really had a big place in my heart. So many memories of my mission were connected to him, his dog, the lessons we had outside his house, his kindness, and his heart. He was so kind and was always so willing to help us and listen to us. This hit me really hard, but right when I heard the news, I got down on my knees to pray. I had to know that that Plan of Salvation that I had been teaching for 16 months was true. Right after my prayer I didn't feel a rush of peace or anything grand, but just a quiet feeling that everything would be okay. It was a beautiful to know that God was there watching over me and He cared about me. 

This transfer Sister Hill and I were assigned to be Sister Training Leaders and a lot of the responsibilities have been a lot for us to handle, but God has been there every step of the way. I don't know how to explain it, but I just know that God cares, He has been giving us feelings of peace and joy time and time again, even when everything seems to be going wrong. I have never worked as hard or been as busy in all of my mission but there have been so many miracles and blessings. 

I want you all to know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the church with everything we need to feel constant peace, lasting happiness, and a life full of purpose. I love you all so much and I hope you have an amazing week!

With all the love I have,

Hermana Zimmerman

Pictures: 

Sonny at the temple 

Sonny's Baptism

Pictures from Riverside a couple weeks ago before transfers

Exchange with Sister Casperson

Room for Jesus

So Sister Hill and I were having a really hard day so as we were eating dinner in our apartment we decided together to listen to the conference talk from the Women's Session called, "Divine Discontent". We had been feeling really overwhelmed and inadequate so as we were listening we were looking for so type of relief from these feelings. After the talk was over we went to the couch and talked about what stuck out to us and what we felt. We both came to the conclusion that we needed more faith. We needed to make more room for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in all we were doing and have faith that they could do more than we could do alone. So we both said an individual prayer and we were out the door. 

Flash back to a week earlier, Sister Hill had a thought to stop by this man named Leonardo she had met about 3 months ago, but we didn't have the time in the moment so we wrote his name down and said we would go by later. So as we were planning this Sunday we felt like we should go and visit him. 

Flash forward to Sunday evening we go to their front door and they let us right in. Her brother is a member and they had been greatly impacted by his influence and his experience with the Gospel. They had just said goodbye to their church yesterday, and they said they would be coming to church. It was just amazing! We had been having a challenging day, we made room for Christ, and he made a miracle. Amazing!

Then we got into the car, and the Spirit brought these verses in the Book of Mormon to my mind, (Mosiah 24:12-16)

"12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage."

God gave us this experience so that we could be personal witnesses that He does come to us when things are hard, and we feel like we are overwhelmed, his arm is always reaching out to us.

As of today we have less than a month for Christmas, I want to invite you all to make more room for Jesus in your life. Let him in to your conversations (like the prophet invited the women of the church to do), your your job, your friendships, your service, your music, your schooling, your family, and your heart. He is the only one who can really help us in hard times.

Con mucho amor 

Hermana Zimmerman

P.S. Sorry again for pictures. We have been going from place to place, lesson to lesson and we haven't had time to take pictures. But... I will repent and take more pictures this week, promise

President Nelson and Adams Hill

So this week President Nelson, Elder Bednar, Elder Ochoa, and all their wives came to San Antonio! Their messages were very beautiful and enlightening. 

The prophet spoke about the song, "It Is Well with My Soul" and shared how we all have many trials in our lives, but we can find peace amidst these hard times. He shared a story of the many who wrote "It Is Well with My Soul". He said the man had some hard economic time and so he thought it would be good to send his wife and 4 daughters to England and then he would follow after he did some pressing business, but as his family was crossing the Atlantic Ocean the ship sunk and only his wife was saved. As he sailed to go and meet his wife he wrote the lyrics to the song. I don't have the words but you should definitely look it up!

Then... Sister Nelson talked about what it has been like in their house since President Nelson was called to be a prophet. She talked about how at night she gets impressions to leave the room and so she does and when she comes back he has pages of notes written down. Something's during the night he slips out and goes to the closet to receive revelation and again come out with pages of notes. It was so interesting to hear her accounts. The Spirit was so strong and everyone just sat in awe about how President Nelson truly is the prophet!

Sister Bednar talked about 5 things she learned in Texas which was really fun! On things she said was that one day the Stake President called them in and asked them to help donate to the temple fund to build the Dallas temple. She said that they were struggling students and that the amount they were asked to pay was more than she thought they could do, but they said yes, and as they struggled even more, after the temple was finished she went inside the Dallas temple and she was so grateful. She knew that her contribution maybe helped to pay for a piece of trim or a door hinge. She said that when we sacrifice we have more love.

Elder Bednar talked about being "All in". What's funny is that in the Purpose Statement for our mission at the recovery end it says, "Every Sister every Elder, All in". But he talked about being all in in the gospel. He talked about how we should sacrifice all we have to serve the Lord.

Elder and Sister Ochoa talked about the Book of Mormon and how important it is to have a deep testimony of it. They also talked about humbling ourselves and seeing the blessings all around us every day. He referenced the song, "Because I Have Been Given Much" and talked about how we need to give back to others because God has given us so much.

It was so wonderful to hear from the Prophet and other leaders of our church. I am so grateful to be a member of this beautiful church that gives us all we need to have peace in this life. I am so grateful that we have a prophet and that he teaches us all we need to know to guide us through life. 

I hope you have an amazing week and a happy Thanksgiving!

Hermana Zimmerman 

P.S. sorry I have 0 pictures this week!

It Is Well with My Soul

Audrey Assad

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul

It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

Songwriters: P P. Bliss / Gloria Roe

It Is Well with My Soul lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc