7-16-18 Best Week Ever

Sorry I'm in the train, and barely have room to move my thumb this week so I'll just send pictures and say this week was the best week ever. We worked super hard and laughed sooo much. And we found some cool people to teach. Today we went to Toledo.. I'm living the dream.

7-9-18

Hello. All is well here. This week I think I received more rejections than any other week in the mission but I looooooooved this week. It was too much fun. I don't know if it's because we are working our bums off or the heat but everything was so funny this week. It had been like two weeks without teaching an investigator.. All the lessons kept failing and finally on Saturday we had a lesson. She was so excited her first lesson with a real investigator! We sit down at the lessom and the first words out of this girls mouth are, I don't want to learn anymore about this book, you can have it back. Haha. It was a memorable first lesson for Hermana Mecca to say the least! But hey we broke the dry spell with meeting with investigators!

But Saturday and Sunday we saw some miracles. We had a barbecue and the members did incredible inviting their friends.. Then on church we had 2 people come to church! That doubles the record in my time here!
Just goes to show. You work hard, do all you can... And then God gives you the miracles.

Have a great week!
Love you all!
Hermana Simmons

1. Talking in the streets.

2. Hermana Mecca has a broken wrist so I wash her hair for her... Haha.. I got a Pic to capture it.

3. One of the members here made me a cake... She is the best. 

6-25-18

Hello! Sorry not tons of time today it's transfers and we are running around all over Madrid. It was a pretty good week! We are starting to really work with the members a lot more and it is the best. The members are starting to love us. They have been feeding us a ton! And slowly but surely introducing us to some of their friends.
The time has come for me as well I think I have to swallow my pride and start wearing sunscreen haha!
We had a really cool lesson this week with one of our friends who is this cute 16 year old Spanish gal, we taught her that God was her father and it was incredible to she that for the first time she recognized the spirit. We were teaching her in a park and afterwards she just didn't want to leave because of the peace she was feeling... So who knows how long she sat there in that park but it was awesome. It reminded me of an experience that I had when I was about her age and it was just a real sweet experience to share with her. The mission rocks.
There is lots of changes going on right now and my mission is about doubling in size. Also our new mission president comes this week. Haha I love seeing how much change makes everyone squirm. I'll be staying in Alcalá but Hermana Willden left this morning and tomorrow night I'm going to pick my comp up from the MTC. I'm super excited it will be so much fun having a new comp!
Life is good! Have a great week!

Hermana Simmons 

6-18-18

Well summer came this week in full swing. I will just say this once and let it apply till about September. It's hot.
Haha. It was quite the week. It's amazing how adversity excelerates the learning process. I learned some really cool and valuable lessons this week for sure.

We have a friend named Yemina who has incredible parallels to a young Joseph Smith, she has so many questions and really feels she is in a war of words and opinions. We sat down to teach her this week and along comes this man looking for a good Bible bash. Haha, it was too funny, he kept bringing his buddies over too and I just had to chuckle to myself why all these 50 year old men just could leave us two 19 year old girls alone. Sometimes the adversity that our investigators face is very real and visible to us. 

Afterwards poor Yemina expressed her frustration and confusion as she told us how many people have come up to her like that this last week. We just focused on the Book of Mormon and we were able to promise some really cool and specific blessings.

Guys pray for her! She just needs to read but is having trouble getting started.

Aah! It hurts the soul a bit! Just read the Book of Mormon, the answer to all trials, temptation, adversity! The difference it makes is immeasurable. 
Haha I just need to record myself ranting about this and re-watch it after the mission when I have 7.30 class and every excuse not to read for just 5 minutes. 

I learned this week as real as opposition is so is the heavenly help. 
I learned the impact of just listening. 
I learned that if you are too busy today to chose to do the small and simple, you will always be too busy. 
I learned to more shamelessly rock pit stains. 

Life is good! 
Have a great week! 
Hermana Simmons

6-11-18

I'm doing well. Haha diligence. That about sums the week up. Learning the heavenly virtue of patience!
Cool story this week. Something really incredible is that in the work of the Lord we have the right to expect miracles. So we did this week. On Saturday we had an appointment set up with a woman we met in the streets but she was not responding to our messages or answering her phone and we didn't know where she lived, however I was SET on teaching this woman! Haha! I knew we would. So we got on the bus, showed a little faith, and went over to where we met her. We got there and sat on a bench to try calling her again when guess who walks around the corner. That's right. Miracle. Boom. They happen.
We were able to teach her and some of here family, even though I'm fairly sure the cousins were all a little intoxicated. Haha. Anyways moral of the story, have faith, act, and look for the miracle.
Keep praying for us!
Love you all!

Hermana Simmons ️

It Rains in Spain 6-4-18

We spent a whole lot of time roaming the streets this week! Haha too much fun! Nothing like learning the beauty of the virtue of diligence!
Yesterday we had an incredible first lesson with this super cool guy names Oscar. We are working with tons of young people right now. It's the best! Afterwards we had a super fun activity and tons of students who are here on a study abroad came and Oscar couldn't believe how cool and normal we Mormons are..... That's what I keep telling these people!

Anyways, it was a good week. I love the mission work. It's awesome.

Hermana Simmons

1. My ego permits me from bringing an umbrella with me in June. So I had to get creative on the rainy days.

2. We went to this super random park today with replicas. Of tourist sights all around Europe

5-28-18

Wanna here about a miracle.
So we were walking to catch a bus this week and we ended up taking a few wrong turns and we missed the bus, the next bus didn't come for an hour so we kinda changed our plans and started heading over to the university but we went a new way and it appeared like not a great decision because there was seriously one person on the street, so classic, we talked to the one person. It ended up being a girl studying about our age. We got taking and she told us that this week with her congregation she was doing a special fast and prayers ever 6 hours.. Even in the middle of the night.. To find the truth as she said.
She was really interested and was thrilled about the book of Mormon, also her long lost friend is a return missionary from a neighboring ward. We got in contact with the friend and she is going to help us teach her.
It was incredible! I got the chills after just thinking about how precise of timing that was for her to have put in our path. We had to miss a bus and walk down a random street, but I know we needed to meet her.

Moments like that just make me realize really how much God's hands are actually in our lives. I think we may not actually be able to realize it to the full extent in this life but He is! We try to do what's best, try to make our own  good decisions and He'll make up for what wisdom we lack.
So next time you miss a bus or get lost or something bigger, a major change of plans in life.. Don't even sweat it, sometimes that's just how God works.

Anyways being a missionary rocks. It's really the best.

Today my district went to Segovia. It was a dream. Spain really is that beautiful. The pictures don't even capture it! How lucky am I no?!

Love you guys!

Hermana Simmons

1. Just 3 of 167 Segovia pics

2. This week we had lots of random rain storms haha! 

3. The lady who took the group picture insisted we take a picture with her dog.... Look how well I've learned to fake liking dogs... 

5-7-18 Sunny Week!

Wow. This week was just weird.

So we met this lady named cacilda, And somehow instantly became best friends. She calls us one morning and said I have a gift for you. So we meet up in this place and she gives us a little present and then takes us to this place where they give free massages and they were having a giant potluck. And she introduced us to all her friends.
I know that story doesn't make any sense and seems so ubrupt but the truth is the experience didn't make any sense and was incredibly random.

Also this week we got invited to go see an investigators 10 year old twins sing... So we thought. Wow. This could be a good way to support them. So we go. And it ends us being an incredible orchestra! Seriously it was insanely cool! We kinda thought to ourselves... Hmm... Should we be here but we had like front row seats and couldn't get out. Afterwards we had to sprint home. To make it home on time! Not our best 

We have been finding alot of people lately and teaching a lesson or two and then they stop meeting with us. But we met this lady named Annette and taught her this week and had a really spiritual lesson (even though we met in a bus station and there was a jackhammer going the whole time) and it was incredible to feel the difference between those who are really searching for more and those who just kinda stumble upon the truth. I think that applies to everyone in the way we do the little things. Doing things for the sake of doing it doesn't do much but it was so cool to see the effect real intent can have.

I don't know about this 'the mission is really hard thing', it's been kinda awesome for me....

Have a great week! Love you all!

Hermana Simmons

1. Us and our gallega grandma. She makes the best tortilla

2. Our new BFF Cacilda. She unfortunately just moved to London for the summer, 

3. We made candy posters for some people for mothers day

4-30-18

Hello.
This week we went to Vigo again for intercambios. I love vigo. I love Hermana Rodriguez too. She is about to finish her mission so we had some fun! We taught her the phrase in English "go nuts" and that was pretty much the theme of the week.
Some highlights of the week. We went and sang to our old friend Mari Carmen. Haha she is a hoot. We sang come come ye saints and then I told her about how awesome the life after death is going to be and she go so excited she just pulling me in and started kissing me face. I got lipstick all over my cheeks! Haha! She is the most dramatic old woman on earth but I think we will be good friends haha. We were leaving her Piso and walking down the stairs and she is 'whispering' to us how her husband is a monster and her life is miserable and he is right behind her like yelling I can hear you! Then and we are walking down the stairs she yells out "don't forget me!" I can see how from the description I just gave she may seem slightly crazy. She's not. She's just reaaaaalllly old. But she's super awesome.

This week this woman called us out of the blue looking for a missionary who taught her over ten years ago. We hoped on a bus and went out to her pueblito where we were able to teach her whole family.... Haha and find this old missionary on Facebook . I loved seeing how really all the good things we do really do make a difference. Small means really do bring about miracles. Most of the effects of our actions we don't see but it's kinda fun that way!

I love serving. I love this place. I love the Spanish culture. I love that the sun is out and now on Saturdays we play fútbol with our investigators. I love that I see the beach every day. I love that this whole city smells like sea food and cigarette smoke. Life is good!

Have a great week!

Hermana Simmons

1. Evidence of how much Mari Carmen loves me 

2. Eating ice cream in the sunshine

3. Eating ice cream in the rain

4. Some of our friends who called us out of the blue after 10 years.

5. Vigo

Sunshine 4-23-18

I've got to stop starting my emails with 'best week ever' because wow..... This one was In the running as well! We had zone conference and it was a really fun one! I learned a lot of specific tips that I'm excited to put in practice.
The conference was also on Hermana Bentz and I's 6 month mark so we celebrated with a pizza night and a sleepover with all the other hermanas.
Haha, we once again worked hard this week. I am reaching new levels of tired, I absorb sleep like Logan does noodles. But man life is great. I can definitely say God gives us the strength we need to do his work.
Our investigator Fran is doing great. He is a few weeks out from his baptism but is still struggling to quit smoking! You'll have to pray for him, he is just a humble guy and he has two daughters and always just talks about much the gospel is going to bless his family. He isn't wrong! It will!
Haha I made grandma's cinnamon rolls (don't ask me how I found time) and we took them around to a few new Investigators. Our method was leave a plate with them so that they have to meet with again. Haha so far so good! We ended up walking around some of the most beautiful areas ever with arms full of cinnamon rolls! Haha. It was fantastic. On Sunday we had district conference with all of Galicia. It was so fun taking a bus with our whole branch to Santiago. I felt like it was a bonding experience for everyone. I sang in the choir jaja. Classic! Then today we took a bus north and went to the most beautiful beach and had a picnic and played Frisbee. Too fun. Hermana Bentz and I sometimes ask ourselves if we are having too much fun. But we are doing work too! So I think it's a fantastic combo.

Have a great week.

1. Bus ride

2. Santiago 

3. Views

4. This is me trying to navigate haha

5. 6 months

4-16-18

What a week. This last week takes the cake for the new best week ever. It involved a lot of old women. Haha. They were coming out of the wood works. One lady straight up told us I haven't been to church in 20 years but when you knocked on my door I took it as a sign from God that I need to come back. So yeah, we are helping her get her life back where she wants it.
Fran is doing pretty good. We had to push his baptism date back a two more weeks because he's still working on the whole word of wisdom thing but he will definitely get there! He is so motivated and has a killer testimony that the book of Mormon is true.
Fianmy finally came to church. Fianmy is my favorite person on earth. Her and I just really get along. Man. She is the best. We've invited her to make some changes in her life, not going to lie.. She has some big decisions to make. After we taught our last lesson we asked if she had any questions, she just said I've got a lot of thought but no doubt, I know what God is asking of me and I will take my questions to him. Yeah. The lady just is incredible, she has such a level head on her shoulders and when we teach her the gospel things just kinda click for her.
And yeah she came to church and had a great experience! The day she goes through the temple, cuz I know she'll get there, I will drop everything and come! I just love that lady. 

Haha I'll send a video home of some hilarious things that happened this week. We are having tons of fun. One of the families we are teaching after the lesson wanted to show us some songs about Jesus... Haha. We had like a soulful karaoke session with hallelujahs and waving our hands in the air. The music videos were kinda gruesome shots of Jesus. Yeah. There are so many moments on the mission you just look around at the situation you are in and think... Hmm... This is unique.. Never in a thousand years would I expect this to be happening in my life. But nonetheless those moments happen several times every day. 

It's the best. Hermana Bentz and I are having fun. We are working like crazy. Pretty much every second we aren't working we are sleeping 
I just love this work. So much. I can't believe six months has past. It goes too fast. 
There is a work in Spanish that we just don't quite have in English. And it's one of my favorites. Aprovechar. Thats how I feel right now. Work hard, play hard, sleep hard. 
I'm living the dream haha! 
Have a great week

4-9-18

We went out on a hike today, the pictures are included.   My companion is from Arizona and she's awesome.  We taught several people this week and had a family come to church this week too.  It is interesting to see how God guides us to do what he needs us to.  Sometimes lessons fail and you meet an elderly woman who just needs to hear she's a child of God and a listening ear for thirty minutes. 

4-2-2018

Hello! Honestly not much has really happened this week haha. My poor comp got sick this week and we spent a ton of time inside.. By some miracle I didn't get sick so I spent the week reading, catching up on writing in my journal, I cooked a lot. Then I cleaned alot! Haha I got kinda lonely but I learned a ton! I had a ton of time to study the life of Jesus Christ and it was a really special Easter. It's so simple but so beautiful.. Everything we do, every thing we teach the commandments we live its all because He lives and has provided a way back home. It was a great Easter and really a special conference.
We got to watch the Saturday morning and Sunday morning sessions live and I loved being able to stand with all of you and sustain our prophet!
I learned tons from conference!
And transfers, Hermana Glover is headed out to the East tomorrow morning and Hermana Bentz just got here today! Her and I were in the MTC together and she is really cool! I am so excited for this next transfer! Tonight we have this funny little trio haha.

But yeah.. Sorry kinda a boring week. I am really looking forward to getting back to work! Especially because spring is here and this place is ridiculously beautiful.

This is our investigator Angela and Vicky is a member. 

Spring!!!

Hello! 
This week has been some of the weirdest rainstorms of my life. It goes from beautiful spring day to torrential rainstorm about ever 15 minutes. Haha it is just bizarre. We started off the week with intercambios. It was great hanging out with Hermana Forsyth and getting all the March Madness updates!
If you remember weve been teaching some Gallegos and one of them Fran, who has just been ridiculously prepared is working on quiting smoking now so he can get baptized next month. He has had some really special experiences and just knows the church is true and is so incredibly dedicated to preparing himself to join! Its kinda surreal how awesome he is and I can't believe I get to be apart of this!
This week we got to teach his daughter for the first time, she is 17 and man, I feel like I just get her, I absolutely loved teaching her because in a weird was I felt like I got to teach the Spanish nonmember version of myself. It was a really great lesson, it was fun to just look someone in the eye and say, look I get it, there are answers you need and I promise you'll get them. I learned this week alot about the way God uses us to do his work. He needs diversity, he needs our unique talents and personality, he doesn't need us all to fit the same mold, there is no better feeling than being real genuine with people, taking to them like your friends but at the same time feeling that the spirit gives you what they need. God works through our diversity to reach all of his children. It's the miracle of the mission.

Yesterday we were able to have a lesson with a really special family. I met the mom Fernanda on the bus about a month ago and we have been helping the daughter with English and everything just slowly trying to teach them. Anyways last night we had an amazing experience and we're able to teach their family. Fernanda is incredible, this may sound a little dramatic but I think knowing her has changed me a little bit. I really feel so blessed to have met her. She opened up to us big time last night. I think she is an example of the scripture that there are some who are kept from the truth only because they know not where to find it. If nothing else even comes of this I feel so privileged to have sat down with someone I really admire and to teach her how to pray to her father and to ask for the answers that she so desperately needs. It was a beautiful experience.

Anyways. I sure love this place. I just absolutely love these people. I could write a book about all of them, haha needless to say I have a lot of journal writing to do today. I feel very blessed for the friends I've made here and the chance I have to feel I little bit of what God feels for them. God loves His children.. I'll tell you what!

Love you,
Hermana Simmons