He Lives!

This morning my mom sent me this beautiful picture of the crocuses in our front yard. From what I remember, crocuses are blub flowers, meaning they bloom in the Springtime, die after summer hits, multiply, and then bloom again when Spring comes and you never have to replant them and they continue to grow and multiply and beautify your garden over the course of many years. This is much like what the Savior has done for us. Because He lived, sacrificed, died, and rose again, we are able to "bloom again" in the sense that through His Atonement we can change and be born again. After we sin we may feel like we have "died" or we feel the darkness and coldness that comes from distancing ourselves away from Heavenly Father, but through Christ, there is a Springtime where we can be born again, and become new. I love the hope and happiness that comes through Christ's Atonement. I testify that we really can bloom again through Christ's Atonement and that He died for you. I know that He lives. I know that He can help you overcome the challenges you are facing. I know He can change your heart. I know He loves you.

We have a couple weeks before Easter comes. Leading up to April 1st, I invite you to think about the Savior and His personal impact on your life.

-Hermana Zimmerman

1- A montage of Sister Thompson finding a Jolley Rancher on the side of the road and eating it

Cute plants I have seen all over the Carrizo Springs/Crystal City area 

1- Cute Texas sign

2- Beautiful sky

3- Zimmerman St.!

4- A cute Mexican frog

5- A cool moth I found

6- A cool inch worm I found

7- The car wash that has pink soap!

The Silver Dollar!

Gordon B. Hinckley shared this story:

"An older boy and his young companion were walking along a road which led through a field. They saw an old coat and a badly worn pair of men's shoes by the roadside, and in the distance, they saw the owner working in the field.
The younger boy suggested that they hide the shoes, conceal themselves, and watch the perplexity on the owner's face when he returned.
The older boy … thought that would not be so good. He said the owner must be a very poor man. So, after talking the matter over, at his suggestion, they concluded to try another experiment. Instead of hiding the shoes, they would put a silver dollar in each one and … see what the owner did when he discovered the money. So they did that.
Pretty soon the man returned from the field, put on his coat, slipped one foot into a shoe, felt something hard, took it out and found a silver dollar. Wonder and surprise [shone] upon his face. He looked at the dollar, again and again, turned around and could see nobody, then proceeded to put on the other shoe; when to his great surprise he found another dollar. His feelings overcame him. … He knelt down and offered aloud a prayer of thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife being sick and helpless and his children without bread. … He fervently thanked the Lord for this bounty from unknown hands and evoked the blessing of heaven upon those who gave him this needed help.
The boys remained [hidden] until he had gone. They had been touched by his prayer and felt something warm within their hearts. As they left to walk down the road, one said to the other, "Don't you have a good feeling?"

What "silver dollars" will you put in someone else's "shoes" this week? 

Hermana Zimmerman

1. The menu from a Mexican snack shack. It was so good! We went with some of our investigators and it was great!

2. Pudding! We made some pudding with almond milk and it turned out to be runny and taste a bit different, but it was good

3. A beautiful day

4. Me and Monce (she's the one that loves to braid our hair when we go to church and over to her house)

5. The Chavez family. They are the Spanish speakers in our branch and the ones we translate for in sacrament meeting. They are so amazing and they are such humble people.

6. Sister Thompson and Monce

7. The laundry mat we taught at on Sunday

8. Another beautiful road

Joseph Smith

Transfers calls came this morning and I am staying in Carrizo Springs with Sister Thompson! We were super excited because we have a baptism coming up in the first week of April! Kathy is on date to be baptized on April 9th! We are so excited!

Honestly, things are pretty normal here in Carrizo Springs. We are doing the work of God and it is really great. We are teaching amazing people, finding people who are prepared and doing our bests.

This week I was reading Joseph Smith-- History 1:3-17. It is really interesting to see how Joseph Smith went about finding an answer. His inquiry and action steps lead to the restoration of Jesus Christ's original church. So, if he was able to receive an answer to a question, why can't we?

Some things that I found really neat in regards to his experience were:

1. He reflected, pondered, and meditated.

2. He "attended their several meetings".

3. Decided on what he felt was best.

4. He studied the scriptures.

5. He acted on what he knew.

I think this pattern is rather insightful. Read these verses and ponder what your "Joseph Smith-like question" is. It may or may not be, "Which church is true?" But find a question or a problem you are currently facing and read Joseph Smith-- History 1:3-17 (https://www.lds.org/languages/eng/content/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1) looking for how you can follow His example to answer a problem or question of your own.

Let me know how it goes! I'd love to hear what y'all find!

Tenga un buen dia amigos!

🦎 Hermana Zimmerman 

1. Sister Thompson with the cute kids in Crystal City. These kiddos came right up to us and started asking questions. We told them we were missionaries and teach people about Jesus and they said, "can we learn right now?" They are so precious!

2. This little critter was found in our bathroom so I put on my big girl pants and caught it! I guess you can call me a lizard wrangler 

3.some cute girls in Carrizo Springs. They are so cute. They wanted some sassy pictures so this is what we got.

4. An 11 year old named Monce loves to braid our hair. She will sit before church and beg us if she can do our hair. Last night when we went over to her house for dinner Sister Thompson let her braid her hair. Sister Thompson's s got the Medusa look going very nicely

5. More fun pictures with the cute girls in Carrizo Springs