I am running out of subject titles...

Wow, thank you to everyone who wrote me letters this week! I promise I will try to do better next week at responding to them all!

This week we had a multi-zone conference of the missionaries here in Paraguay. I loved all of the activities and messages that were shared. Honestly, I felt God´s love so strongly not just for me but for the people here in Paraguay and Argentina. I left the conference with a lot of desire to just go out and work!

Hna Garci­a and I have been visiting with a girl named Malena. She is 14 years old and has a lot of interest in learning more about God and about Jesus Christ. The other day we felt impressed to share some scriptures about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As we read and discussed, I could feel the Spirit begin to fill the room. Malena began to cry and it was hard for me to speak as I was sharing my testimony of Jesus Christ. I could just feel so strongly that every word being spoken was true, every word in the scriptures testifies of things that have actually happened and as they really are.

Last week I had to travel to Asuncion to fill out some paperwork with a couple other missionaries, so I got to visit the temple there! It is absolutely gorgeous!

Also, in Asuncion they have a McDonald's, a Burger King, and a Pizza Hut. But rather than just being little fast food places on the corner, these restaurants look like palaces here. They are HUGE! And they are also a little expensive since they are brands from the U.S.. It was a little funny to see how fancy everything was, but it was fantastic to be able to eat a "real" American pizza for the first time in a few months!

I know that Jesus Christ lives. He is the Son of God, and our Savior. Through His atoning sacrifice we can repent and return to live with Him and with our Heavenly Father. My invitation to all of you is the same invitation extended by an ancient prophet in the Book of Mormon "And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen." Ether 12:41

I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Hermana Simmons

--------------------------------------------------

And it sounds like everything is working out well for everyone right now. It´s weird to think that life just goes on, even though I´m halfway across the world. It seems like everybody is already so different, and I haven´t even been gone that long! You all look great! Thanks for the photos! I love and miss you!!!!

--------------------------------------------------

That is something that I have definitely wanted to do more here on my mission, is learn more of family history. We talk a lot about the temple and the ordinances, and the other day it hit me how terrifying it would be to be a member of the church but not be able to be sealed to a family member. That happens a lot here where only one person in the family will be an active member, and they want the blessings of the temple, but they can´t force their family members to get baptized and worthy to go to the temple. I don´t know why but it just reminds me how lucky I am to have been born in the covenant, to have the ability to choose a future husband who can take me to the temple, and have the opportunity to help all of my ancestors also partake of those ordinances. 

And random thought on the temple distance. A few sundays ago one of the sisters got up and bore her testimony about the temple. The nearest temple is in Asuncion, which is about 6 hours away from here. She bore her testimony that the people here are so lucky and blessed to have a temple so close!!! It really made me think. If this sister here in Argentina can feel so incredibly lucky to have a temple only 6 hours away, and within the borders of her own country, then how much more effort do we need to put in to attending the temple when it is only 6 minutes away! It reminds me of the saying "where much is given much is required"

hna simmons

Myself and my travel companion, Hermana Craven, at the Asuncion temple.

This Week...

This week was an exciting week of animals!

1) We visited with a woman who has a ton of huge trees in her backyard, and there are a ton of little monkeys that love to play around up there. While we were talking with her, one even came down and started playing around in the dog house at the foot of the tree!

2) There are parrots everywhere here! I got to hold one. It was fantastic.

3) There is a lizard that lives in our apartment building (not actually inside our apartment, but out in the hallway). He only comes out at night. I'm not sure why I felt like this was an important point to clarify, but I have already typed it out and it's not worth erasing.

Also, we often have to ride public buses to get from one of our areas to another. These buses want to make as much money as possible, so they always let as many people on the bus as will physically fit. This week my companion and I got on the bus (not realizing how full it was), and had to stay standing up front, on the stairs that lead up to the bus. Then more people wanted to get on. Rather than telling them no, the bus driver and his assistant asked my companion and I to take a seat- on the dashboard! It was awesome. So for about 25 minutes Hna Garci­a and I had a front row view of the road because we got to sit up front right next to the driver.

Sometimes I feel like I get into a routine of just doing things without real purpose behind them. I have been working a lot lately on trying to put a real sincerity behind all that I do. Faith without works is dead, but I think works without faith is empty. Mosiah 4:10"And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them."

I love you all!

Hermana Simmons

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alayna has been filling me in from time to time with updates about "pre-mission" people. it's interesting to see what everyone decides to do with their life once they´re "grown up". my companion turns 21 this upcoming week and we both think it is the weirdest thing that we are both (well, i'm almost) in our 20s. we both still feel 17 or 18. and it's weird to think that taylia is 14! and in high school! and going to stake dances! you'll definitely have to keep an eye on her and keep her out of trouble. i'm pretty dang sure that the boys are going to be all over her because she is so dang cute and funny. so make sure you and mom keep her on a short leash (haha don't tell her i said that)
love you all!

ummmm.... yeah. my mosquito bites have mosquito bites. (i totally wish that was just an exaggeration, but unfortunately it's not).  And yeah, that was basically my first "official" sight-seeing trip. but honestly, all of paraguay is so gorgeous that everyday just out tracting is awesome.

Our investigator Malena has pet parrots. They are stinking cute.

It is very green here. Also, i have no idea why everything is so crooked in this picture- my head, my nametag, etc... haha

Hello!

Wow this week flew by!

On Saturday Paraguay celebrated Dia del Niño. Apparently, in Paraguay's past they were fighting a war with Brazil. Paraguay's troops had been depleted substantially, but instead of giving in to Brazil, the Paraguay king armed a lot of the country's children (between 6 and 8 years old) with armor and weapons and sent them out to fight. That day hundreds of children died, so now they hold Dia del Niño to honor all the children who fought. We ate a lot of cakes and snacks at the Church in the Primary activity. It was lots of fun, but at the end of the day the story behind the holiday is still upsetting.

The great thing about being here is that nobody uses recipes or measuring cups or anything exact in the kitchen. I'm learning how to cook from all my companions and the members. Hopefully when I get home I'll be able to survive on more than just the quesadillas and PBJ sandwiches I used to eat all the time at BYU!

Today we went to the Ruins in here in Trinidad. All of our Mission Zone (about 10 companionships) went together. It was super interesting and amazing. The ruins are from an old church and colony of Guaranis-Jesuits or something like that. It was hard to keep all the facts and stories straight considering everything here is in Spanish, and my vocabulary is mostly limited to Gospel-related topics haha. But it was still a very fun afternoon!

Lately I have been taking a lot of comfort in the scripture Isaiah 52:7 "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth." We walk a lot here. A LOT. And with all the walking come some pretty fantastic blisters and callouses. But the message we carry is a lot more important than some unsightly feet!

Love you all! Hope you have a great week!

Hermana Simmons

My companion (Hermana Garcia) and me!

my "mom" and "grandma" haha 3 generations! (my trainer Hna Tapia and her trainer Hna Crump)

the old chapel (it´s huge)

just me!

Another Week

Not much to write about this week. Hermana Garci­a and I have just been working, walking, and teaching. a lot.  (She is my second Latin companion. She's way nice.)

The fantastic part about being in Paraguay is all the fruit. Also, our apartment came with a blender. Every morning I drink a smoothie with fresh mango, coconut, or banana. 

Also, I got to ride in a car the other day! A real car! Not a smelly, nasty city bus, or a run-down taxi, but an actual car! I had forgotten that they existed. It's strange to realize now how incredibly convenient my life has been. And still is. I have grown a lot more accustomed to how most people here live, and it has only been 3 months. I’m a little nervous that after 18 months I am going to come back to the U.S. feeling completely out of place. My whole life I kind of laughed at the idea of the "awkward returned missionary," but now I can tell that that is going to be me!

The only thing that has been a bit of an inconvenience is that our power went out the other day and we haven't been able to get it turned back on. That means no refrigeration, no hot water, no lights when it gets dark, etc... Whenever I start to feel frustrated I just remind myself that this is all part of one big adventure. When else in my life will I ever get to say that I took a freezing cold shower in Paraguay? Or walked over an hour to tell someone that I know we have a prophet on the earth today? Or learned an entirely new language basically by just speaking and listening and lots and lots of prayer? Never! I am learning a lot and growing a lot and hopefully I will be able to become a better person by the end of it all.

Wow, sorry my letter is kind of all over the place! But I hope everybody is doing well! When do they break ground for the Meridian temple? Are they going to do any kind of celebration? Also, how long do they think it will take to build?

Found this scripture the other day, and I absolutely love it. Thought I’d share it. "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27

Love you all!

Hermana Simmons

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I always love your letters!

I love you and hope you are enjoying work! Eat a couple of s'mores for me! (marshmallows don't actually exist here)

XOXO

Hermana Simmons

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here I am with Mariela and Fernando and their family! When I left Santo Tome we had taught Fiorela (the older daughter) and Macarena (the younger sister). The two of them had baptismal dates. We also had started to work more with Sebastian. They are awesome!!!!

Here I am with my Paraguayan Zone. We went out for pizza after a zone meeting. The Hermana sitting next to me is Hna Garcia, my companion!

i have been trying to send this picture FOREVER. i took it back in June.

Hna Tapia and I found this grafitti back in Santo Tome. If missionaries did grafitti, it would look like this.

In argentina, overlooking paraguay

I finally made it to Paraguay!!!

Okay, a lot has happened this past week. I will try to be brief and answer all the questions I have been getting this week.

I am currently in Paraguay, near the Parana River. My area covers a couple of cities (Hohenau, Obligado, Trinidad, Bella Victoria, Los Colonos). We live in Hohenau, but the church is in Obligado, so technically the name of this area is "Obligado Paraguay".

Something unique about Paraguay is that it is the birthplace of chipa. Chipa is a cheesy breadstick that is about one of the most delicious things that a person can eat. And the Paraguayans eat it about every day haha. In the collectivo terminal there are dozens of vendors just walking around with baskets full of chipa, or other homebaked products, trying to sell their items.

Also, the Paraguayans have a very distinct accent. Imagine a person speaking Spanish with a perfect "Spanish" accent, but with a very American "R" sound. Most Spanish speakers do not emphasize the "r" (they pronounce it almost as a "d" sound), but here in Paraguay, yes they do emphasize the r. It's hard to explain, but it is one of the most unique sounding accents that I have ever heard. I had to restrain myself from bursting out in laughter the first time I heard the people around me speaking.

Yes, they speak Guarani here. Probably about 80 or 90 percent of the population knows Guarani, but everyone speaks Spanish as well, so it is not as if I actually have to learn Guarani. But my companion and I have been learning a few words and phrases for fun. 

My new companion is Hermana Garci­a. She is from Mexico and started her mission the exact same day I did! But she has more time in the field since she only stayed in the MTC 12 days because she already speaks Spanish. She is very good with the people and super nice. We have been focusing on improving my spanish and trying to teach her some basic english.

This area is basically a dream for me. Santo Tome wasn´t awful or anything, but Obligado is amazing. Our apartment actually has a microwave and a blender!!!!!!! And nobody lives below us so we can actually do some real excersizing in the mornings! Plus, my area is so big I get a little bit of everything- Obligado is like a really nice city, Trinidad is very calm and similar to Santo Tome, Los Colonos definitely feels like I am in South America. But everything is beautiful and the people here are super friendly. 

Something that lots of missionaries here talk about is the "humble hammer." Meaning, that basically for a year and a half or two years being a missionary, God is constantly reminding us how much we depend and rely on Him. There is absolutely now way I (or any missionary) can survive and enjoy the mission if we are not wholly devoted to Him. Jacob 4:7 "No obstante, el Senor Dios nos manifiesta nuestra debilidad para que sepamos que es por su gracia y sus grandes condescendencias para con los hijos de los hombres por las que tenemos poder para hacer estas cosas."

Love you all! Have a fantastic week :)

Hermana Simmons

ps- haha sorry i dont have my english scriptures with me and i don't have time to look up the scripture online. can you just erase the spanish verse and replace it with the english one?

Potentially Last Greetings from Santo Tomé

Hola hola hola.

Transfers are this Wednesday. Hermana Gunter and I still have not Heard from our leaders, so we have don't know what will be happening. However, we are both fairly certain that Hermana Gunter will stay here in Santo Tomé (because she is Presidenta de la Relief Society), and I will probably be moving to a different area since I have 12 weeks here in Santo Tomé

*****Newsflash*****

I'm going to Parana (close to Asuncion), Paraguay!!!!!!! My new companion will be Hermana Garcia (i think that's her name). aaaaahhh!

************

Last Friday we were out about a half hour walk from our apartment and we were trying to make some contacts. We were clapping at door after door, but nobody answered since everyone was sleeping for the siesta. Well, after a while, Hna Gunter realized she needed to go to the bathroom, and she needed to go to the bathroom NOW. Our clapping became more frantic as we decided to try and find someone who would let us use their bathroom. Luckily we found a house where the family was still awake, and they let us in. When we got inside, one of the boys who lived there looked a little shocked, and then started to laugh and laugh, and his girlfriend looked a little upset. I wondered why, and right before we left, they told us what had happened. Apparently, this young man had just gotten into a small argument with his girlfriend. She accused him of not paying enough attention to her; He said that she was too over concerned and jealous. They got to a point where the boy finally was so exasperated that he jokingly said something along the lines of "Fine! If you want, I’ll just have two blondes come keep me company if you don’t want to stay." Just then they heard us clapping at the door, and then they saw two young Americans walk in, one (being me) with blonde hair. The situation was comical to just about everyone but the poor girlfriend, who I think was stewing a little.

We are still making progress with Jorge! In just the space of a week he has improved so much, mentally and spiritually. He is able to focus more easily and hold actual conversations. He also prays willingly and powerfully. He told us that every time he thinks about smoking, the thought of the cigarette grosses him out. Hopefully he keeps going strong!

Sometimes missionary life (okay, more like all the time) can be hectic. There is so much to do, and there is a lot of pressure- sometimes I feel like I have to be going full force, full effort, getting everything done well, 100% of the time. But doing that just burns me out. I have realized that I need to be moderate in my time management and in my energy management. During studies today I found a scripture that I love in Psalms 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God." Sometimes I just need to take a step back take a moment to appreciate and remember all that God is and has done and will do. I am in His hands; He will take care of me.

I hope you all have a fantastic week! Happy (late) birthdays to Bronx and Audrey!

Hermana Simmons

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Yeah, timing here is messed up. Some days I think "holy cow, I still have fourteen months to go. I have been here FOREVER." But then other days I can hardly believe that four months have already passed by.

That's insane about the peso inflating so much (doubled in three years since Jaron was in Argentina as a missionary). There is a lot of unemployment here and people are struggling to get by, but being a missionary it's hard for me to understand the big picture since I can't watch or read the news. Now at least I know that it is a country wide phenomenon and not just Santo Tomé

Veggies and Drugs

Something strange has happened. But I'll have to start from the beginning to explain myself:

Everyone here cooks with oil. all the time. with any food. They fry everything, and even if it isn't fried, lots of times they'll just pour a little bit of oil on top of the food just because they like to do that. Also, nobody eats vegetables- as in ever. They're a bit expensive. So, I have gotten to the point where I am actually craving vegetables. That's right. My companion and I search diligently for the best deals at the supermarket to find broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, bell peppers, etc... We come home at night and instead of wanting chocolate we boil ourselves some broccoli. How weird is that??? It's almost as if a crucial part of my personality has been corrupted into a health nut. But I think I'll survive.

Moral of the story: Eat your vegetables! And enjoy them! Because there are grease-sick missionaries in Argentina who would spend an hour on preparation day discussing how awesome it was to eat a full plate of vegetables for lunch. haha

Apparently speaking full-time Spanish and trying to think in English doesn't work. My companion and I try to speak Spanish at all times, so sometimes when we actually want to speak in English, Spanish words and phrases will just come out without us even trying. I feel like if anyone else heard our conversations that we have in the apartment, they wouldn’t be able to understand our strange mix of American accented spanish and occasional English phrases or Spanish expressions.

We've been teaching classes of piano Saturday nights. This is always fun to see everyone coming together to try and understand music. Something that is so foreign to them, but seems so fundamental to me. Sometimes I forget that the culture here really is very different from that of the United States, at least when it comes to music. People don't have the time or the money to just take classes of piano. I'm glad Hna Gunter and I have been able to help out a bit. I am also playing piano for the Primary on Sundays. I love it because I get to practice my Spanish with all the little children, who I don't feel will judge me, and they have no problem trying to help me improve my pronunciation and vocabulary!

We have been meeting with a young man named Jorge. He is 22 years old, but drinking and drugs have messed up his life. He is so dependent on them, and a few years ago he had to go to a hospital, and now he takes medications for his mind because he is semi-mentally handicapped. I have always known that "drugs are bad" and "drinking is dangerous" but I never really REALIZED that drugs are AWFUL and drinking RUINS LIVES until I got here in Argentina. It is so sad to see so many people (especially the youth!!!) already addicted to these substances and just being dragged down paths that lead to destruction and disaster. Luckily Jorge is willing and wanting to change, so Hna Gunter and I have been trying to help him. We bought him a toothbrush and toothpaste (since he can’t afford them) and some gum to help him clean out his mouth and give him something to do when he gets the urge to smoke. We also took away his package of cigarettes last night. We told him he couldn't smoke anymore yesterday, and he had to wait until we came back before he could smoke again. Hopefully with time he can decrease the amount he smokes down to zero.

Doctrine and Covenants 89! Read it! When we don't take care of our bodies, we can't function, much less feel the influence of the Spirit.

I love you all!

Hermana Simmons 

ps- Mom if you ever send me a package, it would be cool if you could send me a bunch of gallon and quart size ziplock bags. They don't have ziplock or even anything like it here. Also, they don't really have gum. If you could send me a package (or a whole Costco bunch) that would be fantastic.

Also, I have had to use my own personal debit card quite a bit this month due to the flooding. When we were in Virasoro we didn’t have access to our money, and also we had to buy more clothing since we were there for a whole week, and i haven't received reimbursements from the mission office yet. So that's why i have been using my card a lot lately.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nope, we haven’t met with Estevan again. ugh. We’re fairly certain he’s always home, he just has been hiding from us. Unfortunately that is fairly routine here. We have a super spiritual lesson, and the person agrees and really wants to change. But then we leave and Satan begins to attack them and the person realizes that they really SHOULD change, but they are afraid to because they know it will be hard. We’re going to pass by his house a few more times to try and see if he is home, but if not we are going to have to move on. That is always super discouraging.

haha and i have the same problem with goals! I start the day well, but by lunchtime I'm completely focused in cualquier otra cosa and don’t do so great cumpliendo con mis metas.

sorry i just realized i have random spanish words mixed in. it’s kind of confusing at veces because I’m so used to speaking it ALL THE TIME (even with my american companion) that some phrases are just easier to say and i don’t realize that I’m doing it until i reread what i wrote.

  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That’s so exciting for Shaylee! Russia would be a way cool mission (haha pun not intended)!

And yes, Taylia finally wrote me a real letter!!!! Woohoo! That was exciting. But I have yet to hear from Alair about que tal su college tours!