Week 1

Monday Dec. 23, 2013

okay family, (immediate and extended and ward and friend family),

seriously do not even know where to begin, but why would anyone ever deny the chance to serve a mission. all you need is faith. not faith in yourself, just faith in the Lord!!! faith that you and your companion will be best friends even though the only thing she can say in english is "your are the best missionary" and faith that the lord can put the correct words into your mouth even though you have no idea what your investigator has just said. 

My companion Sister Romero

Right now we are serving in Deportiva 1. there are two, and hermana lowe and hermana lopez are covering the other side of Deportiva, (2). so the 4 of us live together in this cute little disgusting apartment, but its ours! i feel safe wherever i am, but my biggest scare was last night when we were walking in the depths of this alley around 8, creepy random groups of people, and then we were all alone on one street to a members home and i feel my companion grab my elbow and say "muerte" meaning dead and i look and theres this guy sprawled out completely ´passed out. my heart skipped a lot of beats. he never moved. not sure if he was dead or just passed out.  Our area is huge, and on wednesday, my first real missionary day, we walked at least 75 blocks.

Hermana Guillen lives in the far end of this little alley with her husband, daughter, neice and nieces boyfriend, and her other daughter lives right next door with her two kids. hermana guillen is the only active member and was baptized 3 years ago. when we got there her husband bolted and we havent seen him since. but she made us food and these cute little 3 and 5 year old were sitting with me. but when we ate we ate alone. nobody else had food. i whispered to my companion asking if i could share, but she said i couldnt. so i really had no idea what to do except mirror my companions every move.  The members are so good to us. hermana guillen feeds us every single wednesday and she is so humble and kind, about 4'10 and always happy. right now we are focusing on reactivating her 23 yr old daughter and her husband. everyone is SO nice i just cant understand why they wont go to church or keep commandments! they have all the right answers!!! we are also teaching her 13 yr old niece Ana and her 23 yr old boyfriend, not members. but theyre 3 months pregnant and i know theyre scared out of their minds. last night after i hugged Ana when we first got there she starting crying and didnt stop. her bf is usually quiet but he talked a lot last night. one of the most frustrating things is when i cant understand people, and he mumbles and speaks quietly. but i have come to learn that it doesnt matter if i understand them it only matters that heavenly father knows their needs and can put into my mouth exactly what i need to say. i was sitting their quietly thinking about ana and her little growing body with another inside of her and my companion turns to me and asks if i have something to say. i said no, but she said no say what youre thinking. i said well im just thinking about Ana and then i just started crying. i was trying to stay composed, but its the 3rd time this week ive cried in a lesson. i told her how i felt and what i was inspired to say, and they looked so confused that a white girl would come into their home and cry over their discouragement. it is so easy for me to love these people. i want the best for all of them. and im always so excited to visit them, even if we walk hundreds of blocks.

I love you all so much. thank you mom and dad for everything you have given me. i am so undeserving of all my many blessings, im trying to make up for the deserving part. thank you for always loving me and always going to church, and always being nice to the missionaries. i am honored when people even offer me a glass of water. i didnt realize how much it would mean to me to have someone call their house my house and tell me to stop by whenever and have whatever i need. i am so ridiculously blessed to be entrusted with these people and be responsible for helpíng them!!!! oh also, an 18 yr old girl Aranza came to church with us yesterday!! and she agreed to be baptized last thursday!! im so happy for her she looooves to learn and is going through her parents divorce. so many great people here. 

p.s. family when you read scriptures i want you to pray beforehand. and pray with a question or problem or any concern in each of your minds. then have something to take notes while you read. i promise you that wherever you are reading, if you invite the spirit, your question or concern will be answered. and write down your feelings!!!!! try it and tell me how it goes :))) people that know a little english always want to speak to me in english or want me to teach them. i taught my comp how to pray in english last night!! her accent is so thick its adorable.

con amor,

hermana zimmerman