Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2011 3:37 AM
Subject: Buongiornoo Hello!
It is a lovely day here in Milano, nice and cool. A little hard to focus with Rehanna singin in the background, but that's just how things roll here in this little internet place haha. Oh Bob Marley now, perfect...
What a great week. All kinds of crazy things happening here in Milan. Everyone is getting home from Vacation! The city magically filled up again. Haha several of our investigators came back and asked us, "so where did you girls go for the vacations? The beach? The lake? Rome?" haaa yep exactly.
Sunday the 4 Libyan refugees (from Ghana) got baptized! Oh it was incredible. So beautiful, so powerful. I am watching God prepare His children right before my EYES! It is SO COOL! He has a plan for everyone. He has a plan for YOU! Just submit.
We are now teaching this wayy beautiful family from Sri Lanka!! HA they are awesome, I love them. Our beautiful family from Ecuador is doing awesome, but they decided to go to the beach for a week, so their baptism will be a little later than planned.I feel like this week all our progressing investigators all at once just decided to take a quick pause so my companion and I are just sittin here..what? But it is ok because immediatly the Lord gives us much more work to do. It is incredible, it really is. The other day we had only like 30 minutes before we had to be in. We were near home. It was dark outside so doing doors and park wasn't the best idea. So we went back down into the subway and contacted people down there for a half hour. It was awesome, we made 3 appointments right on the spot, and talked to some sweet people!! The Lord blesses us when we ENDURE TO THE END! Fino alla fine! Such an amazing principle that I am learning, endure to the end. It applies in everything. Just think of how often we say, oh five more minutes to go, I can stop now no biggie. Or oooh not quite there but oh well good enough. Ha I can't really explain it, but just these last days the sentence has been pumping through my head. Fino alla fine. Fino alla fine. And I have just realized it so many instances how it applies. In all we do we can endure to the end. We can. Really though, I invite you to try it out- go throughout your day thinking in your head, endure to the end, to the end, to the end. And see how many activites and things you do in the day that you might have accepted the "oh that's good enough" way, but instead because you were thinking "endure to the end" that you finished. Hope that makes sense, tell me how it goes!
I have been thinking a bit also how the principles of the Gospel are eternal, and what that means. It definitely means more than just that they exist in this life and the next. They are eternal in every sense.
Well, I have been thinking about lots of stuff lately haha. And doing lots of stuff. Teaching lots of stuff. Being taught even more stuff. Being a missionary is...well, you really just have to go on a mission to know. It is amazing.
I LOVE YOU!
Love
Sorella Simkins
Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 4:10 AM
Subject: Ahhh the TIME HELLO beautiful family and friends.
It is one of those days again..(every other day pretty much) where my anima(soul) is just on FIRE. JOY is pulsing through me VEINS. And since I have no time and my companion is super speedy fast and waiting for me to finish... I will type fast. hahah.
Monday...was out of this world incredible. I feel like a little chess peice on a gigantic chess board. God is just moving me around here and there, letting me witness MIRACLE after MIRACLE after MIRACLE. Why am I this blessed I have no idea. So we started out the morning, normal schedule, run, breakfast, a few ensign articles, shower, studies, out the door..and district meeting, which we have every monday morning. And we had some lovely visiter, President Wolfgramm and Sister Wolfgramm! Oooh they are fantastic, I love them. Out district consists of the incredible missionaries Anziano Morino and Anziano Reynoso(who was in the mtc with me! He is hilarious he reminds me of Moglee from Jungle book for some reason). Anyways we had a super spiritual, revelation packed district meeting! Got Sorella Sloan and I pumped for our day. We went to our first lesson, with Grace, a beautiful lady from Ghana we found in the park the previous week. When we found her she was just quite. The look of complete loss of hope in her eyes.We tried talking to her but she really wasn't responsive. We invited her to church, then were on our way. Sunday came and I hadn't thought a ton about Grace, but was overjoyed to walk into class and see her there!! She came! So Monday we taught her after district meeting in the park. She looked great, all cleaned up, super happy to see us and light shining in her eyes!!! The change in this woman..hugeeee!! We taught her the restoration. She soaked up every word. We invited her to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized the 17th. She said yes. It was amazing. Grace is the definition of humble and lowly in heart. She has a contrite spirit. I love her so much, I really do. I barley know her, yet have known her for eternities. I love her!! We went to our next lesson, which is miracle story number billion. So this family from ecuador which consists of the mom Tania, husband, three kids 11, 6, and 4, and the moms sister. We had been teaching them for a few weeks in a row in July then august nothingggg they dropped of the face of the earth. Saturday we were going to another appointment near by. The appointment wasn't there. We walked past Tania's apartment and saw the two youngest kids playing on the balcony. My heart just lifted up, we hadn't seen this family for such a long time! I called out to the kids, they waved and shouted for us to come over. We went right up! Tania, the sister, and the kids all gathered around and we had a beautiful lesson and then set the appointment for us to come back on Monday. Monday, we went back, with a member and her daughter. We taught them...OHH my..and the member we brought who is incredible bore incredible testimony and just bore her heart to them ( all in spanish. I understood every single word! gift of tongues.) Gosh, you should have seen tania and her sister and the oldest boy, lenard....their eyes were FIXED on the sister we brought with us. Fixed like lasor beems. They were just being fed spiritual from every single word that came out of her mouth. When I gave the baptism invite for the 24th they all said yes. Tania, her sister, her son. This family is incredible! They are so beautiful. God has SUCH GREAT PLANS FOR THEM! Such a beautiful bright future. Eternal LIFE! Oooh they are incredible, the understand soo much. Lenard is a genius. Tania is super smart. THey are just SO PREPARED by Heavenly Father to enter into his kindgom, that is the bottom line. Then Monday night we went to a less active members house, just expecting to teach the couple. But nope! There were 6 other less actives there, a big gigantic family!! The spirit...was overwhelming. We were all in tears by the end. Their conversion story in Peru is amazing. This family of 10, 8 brothers and sisters, were all baptized together years ago. They have solid testimonies, but with work here in Italy they havent been able to go to church as much. But something changed in them Monday night. I can't even describe it, it was as if the Spirit lit them all on fire. I went home that night just exhausted with the biggest smile on my face. Happinesssss completely filling me.
Seriously. I am just a tiny pawn in the Lords hands. He is letting me witness His work and I can't express how thankful and blessed I am.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love
Sorella
Simkins
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 3:14 AM
Subject: holaaa c i a o t u t t i
How are you all DOING? Sounds like crazy things are happening at the Simkins house. Thanks everyone for helping my dear parents move from our lovely home to our new little condo. It will be strange not coming home to 1115 S. Bountiful Blvd. I sure did love that house. Oh well, life is an adventure. I am proud of my parents for submitting to the will of the Lord. I can't believe Mickey started school. Summer was a blink! How are the rest of you doing? I'd love to hear from you! So last week we got on the tram to go visit a member. A young mom with her little girl in a stroller got on the tram. I started talking to her. She told me how back in Ecuador when she was 7 years old the missionaries used to come to her house every Saturday. She said she remembers her parents were going through really hard times and that the missionaries always came and helped them out and she remembers how happy she was when they would come and teach them and share little films and stories with them. She then said .."and then the stopped coming. I guess they went back to their countries or something." No one in her family was baptized..nothing. Can you believe that? Yearrsss later and she still has these precious memories of when the missionaries used to come to her family. WOW. So! We set up an appointment right there! We went over a few days later. This lady had 3 of her cousins and their families there. We had a beautiful lesson. It was really incredible. We see her again this week, I just can't believe how much the Lord blesses us and leads us! MAN it is just unbelievable how much in these last weeks we meet random people on the metro, or tram, or train, or in the park that say "oh yeah, my cousins are mormons!" Or, "yeah I knew missionaries in my country!" or they know something or another about the Church, or some relative is a member. Just yesterday my comp started talking to the women next to her on the metro and the women (philippino) is like "oh Hello! My husband is a member! He went on a mission and is very active in the church!" She is here in Italy earning money for her family like all the foreigners do here. HOW sweet is that though?? That we just meet these people! We will be teaching her this weekend, I can't wait! I just can't even imagine how many prayers her faithful husband has said for wife. And there we met her, right on the Metro! Gosh, this work is incredible. It just never will stop blowing my mind how great it is. Moses 1:39 has just been ringing through my head this week. Such a simple clear scripture, that speaks volumes. As little as my contribution is, I am just honored and humbled to be assisting in our Almighty God's work. Such a huge blessing.Whelp, now that I am...I don't know, several months into my mission, it's time you all start sending me some advice! I want to hear how I can take this whole experience to the next level! All you returned missionaries, what do you wish you knew a third into your mission? What could I be doing better? What do I need to KNOW? How do I get the absolute MOST outta my mission? TELL ME! I am hungry to learn. AHhh life is good. Milan is a billion degrees hot and humid. The city is still empty because everyone is on vacation. But the work is awesome. Those Libyan refugees are getting baptized next week. They are incredible OH MAN they are such spiritual giants. They are all young too, the youngest is 18, I hope some serve missions!! Oh yeah, so monday a fam in the ward invited us for dinner and FHE and the wife invited 4 of her colleges from work. We had THE BEST discussion afterwords. I am so proud of members for inviting their friends to learn about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Members are EVERYTHING! I challenge ALL of you to up your missionary work!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your part is so important! Ok I'm outta time. I LOVE YOU! LoveSista SIMKINS BEETLE! I love you! What is your address so I can send you somfin? California? OOh baby! Are you doing your last semester at UVU or where??? It is so good to hear from you!! Keep it up! RACHEL KIME! Hi. I love reading your updates. You are SO COOL! Tell me when you get my post card. BROOKE I just sent you a post card let me know if you get it. Thanks for the updates. Love it. stillll dying to hear from LIZZIE SPENCER! and all my other cousins as well. I love you!!
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 3:25 AM
Subject: "If we taught all the creepers here in Milan, the church would grow so fast." -Sorella Sloan BUONGIORNO!
Last week I wrote a nice update, went to attach some pictures, pushed the minimize box and lost my email. Hate that feeling of writing something then losing it, but pazienza, I will update you now! It is such a beautiful sunny day here in Milano. and....very quiet and still...it is like a GHOST TOWN! Holy cow, they weren't kidding when they said in August Milan is empty. Everyone and their dog is on vacation. HA Italians are soo funny! The just up and leave for a month on vacation. EVERYTHING is closed. It is so nice...and peaceful... I like it :) and we still have people to find, people to teach, people to baptize, so that is all that matters! Transfer calls last week! I am going to.......................stay here in Milano 2! YESSSS! With Sorella SLOAN! YES!!! She is awesome. SOO funny. I didn't realize how funny she was until a few weeks ago. She makes me laugh sooo hard. Ahh I love her! And oooohh how I love it here. I love the ward. These members here just blow my mind they are so awesome. And I will never get sick of teaching Philippinos, South Americans, Africans, Italians, Russians, Brazillians, Eqyptians, Ukrainians, Romanians, Bolgarians, Polish, French, South Africans, Sri Lankians...etc etc ETC...All in the same DAY! It is exciting. I love diversity. I am trying to learn all these languages but failing, that will be my new transfer goal. Ooooo this mission is the coolest. Teaching Philippinos is dangerous. They feed us SO MUCH delicious Philippino food. It is out of control. They are soo super nice and all of them want me to come stay with them in the philippeans after my mission. Sounds good to me! We found this sweet Brazillian family in the park the other day. But, like the rest of our investigators and ward member and potential investigators..they said we could come over in September when they are back from vacation. August is gonna be real interesting! But ormai its almost over! And it has been a fantastic month.
Sweet story number 1. A group 8 or so refugees from Libya came here to Italy. On their trip over here, one of these Libyans taught all the others about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. He is this SUPER strong awesome member and totally just bore his soul to these other guys. So they get here, and call the church, wanting to know where it is! The Elders go over that day and teach this group of young Africans the restoration! 4 of them commit to baptism that day! They all have their Book of Mormons, ready to start this incredible journey. Then the government tells us that these refugees can't leave the hotel and that we aren't allowed to teach them anymore!! Whaaa? So we pray for a miracle. And that is what we got! Days later, the government gave them permission to practice whatever religion they wanted and that the missionaries are allowed to teach them. So this Sunday.. 5 of them came to church! It was out of control, soo incredible. To have these 5, 18- like..25 year old, spiritual giants at our church, with this burning desire to follow Christ!! Not only that, 7 other of our investigators came!! I was just sitting in gospel principles class just DYING. 5 Africans, 4 peruvians, 1 chilean, 2 philipinos, 1 ecuadorian, 1 russian, 2 el salvadorians, a few italians, and a few americans...just all together. Discussing the life of Christ. The spirit was burning. It was beautiful!
2) It had been a nice long day full of work. We were heading home, done for the day, going down into the metro. We see this lady running up the stairs. And we see at the bottom of the stairs several suitcases. We ask if we can help, she just like BEAMS oooh yes thank you so much! So we help her grab her luggage and are pulling it up the stairs. Out of no where, the Elders come around the corner. We hardly EVER see the Elders in our area. So they start helping us. And this lady is just overwhelmed...Where are you angels FROM? She keeps saying over and over, just on the verge of tears. She had just barley come back to Italy from Russia that day. She has no work. She was telling us, "Thankfully I have a place to stay with this elderly man who I worked for his wife years ago until I find work and my own place." Guess who this elderly man is? Italo! One of the Elder's investigators who Sorella Ryan and I found last transfer! HA what in the world? Italo is awsome he is 82 and comes to church every week and is just loving the Gospel, real close to baptism. The lady was just in tears when we taught her the first lesson. She came to church the next day, loved it. She told everyone in the ward about the miracle of the missionary angels helping her. The book of mormon we gave her in russian the first day (which was a total miracle I even HAD one with me in my bag)..She gave it away the next day to her Russian friends, bearing testimony it was TRUE! HA! She asked us to bring her several more copies. MIRACLES!
Really I don't know exacly what happened but I feel like my mission just completely shifted to a whole new level this week. Everything just became..so much more REAL. So real. Like a young member said in his testimony a few weeks ago.."Anything is possible for two people, if one of those people is GOD." That is just pulsing through me. We can do ANYTHING with God on our side. Anything. Miracles are happening left and right. I love these people so much. Yesterday we went to the park for our next lesson to a new convert. And we got their a bit early. So we sit next to this guy on a bench and start teaching. He is from Congo! I was just blown away...he was young, probably around our age..and just was bearing such sweet testimony about God and how real God was. I just thought..wow...how many young guys our age would just bear their soul how much they know God exists to two foreign girls? So we taught him the restoration! It was beautiful. And the spirit told me that morning to bring a french book of mormon! Blessing, because this young boy's mother language is french!!
I just don't know how to express in words what we have been experiencing this last week. It has been so powerful..just helping the people we teach, and ourselves, really understand how real God and Jesus Christ are. Christ isn't just this beautiful idea or peace giving concept. He is REAL. He LIVES. He lives and is the head of His church. He leads it. What does that mean to you!?
Oh man. So we live in four in our apartment, and one of the other sisters got transfered to Torino, and Sorella Modugno, from Rome, is our new roommie. And guess what her passion is? COOKING! haha oh my GASh the food it is killing me. She has already made chocolate tiramisu, fresh focaccia, and other delicious Italian food. Mamma mia.
WHELP I am out of time.
I LOVE YOU! and would love to hear from more of you!
Love
Sista Simkins
