Baton Rouge- Week 4

Subject: "Dey be crazy in dur, screamin' an hollerin'"

Hola Amigas

Another awesome week has come and gone!
This last week I felt like we had a billion meetings.They were all really good and uplifting and all...Just take away from our precious teaching time. We went to Baton Rouge on Thursday for a new missionary meeting. Super good. Our mission president and his wife are incredible. I want to be like them someday. We saw the Baton Rouge temple. It is beautiful. And tiny. Like a barbie temple. So cute.
The people we are teaching right now are so incredible. Melissa is so cool. She came to church Sunday and couldn't stop talking about it she loved it SO MUCH. She is just ready to learn and learn and learn and is eating up everything. She has prayed and knows it is true. Her husband is coming along too. Her family is going to be SOLID in the church I can't wait to see them sealed one day. Jon who is 19 wants to go on a mission already. He is cool. Matt is so very smart and loved church on Sunday too. He loved the good discussions and appreciates that "we know our stuff." We had over 10 investigators at church Sunday. It was mind blowing. They are all just READY. Our doctrine principles class is full of recent converts and like 7 investigators, who are all so intelligent and participate in class. One guy is this awesome Jewish guy who is just really searching for truth. I am glad he landed in the right place.
So Friday, we were going to teach Melissa and we had a member with us to come help, and Melissa asked us to come back because she had just woken up. So we went back to our apartment complex to teach Jon. We teach Jon by the pool. I went to grab a chair from the other table and this older man was sitting at the table. I just said "Hey would you like to join us?" and he goes "I most certainly would!" Hahahahahahahahahahaha. I can't even explain how funny it was. I mean..we ask everyone things like that. I just expect the "No thank ya baby no thank ya" (everyone here calls me baby or honey its cute) haha. So when Aaron (the guy at the table) said I most certainly would, it just threw me back. I'm like...oh yeah!! sweet! Come on over! We had an AMAZING first lesson. The spirit was so strong. Sister Torres was the member with her and she bore her testimony and it brought almost all of us to tears. It was SOO AWESOME. Aaron has just gotten released like a week ago after serving 15 years in prison. He is the kindest man I have ever met. He has such a good good good spirit about him. He said he is searching for truth. When we were talking about how you need to pray and ask Heavenly Father if these things are true, he is like "Yeah Imma do that. But you gotta ask with a sincere heart to get an answer from God!" I was like....YES!!! YES YOU DO! Ahhhh! how are people so awesome????? The Lord has so many prepared children out there! They are being dropped into our laps! At the end of the lesson Aaron said the most beautiful sincere prayer. Asking Heavenly Father to continue to guide his path and lead him to truth. It was absolutely beautiful. Being a missionary is the coolest thing EVERRR!
Saturday was HILARIOUS. We went and met with Miss Verline, who was baptized late last year I think. Anyways, she is the coolest lady EVER. She loves the bible. She is still "makin relationships" with the Book of Mormon, but it is coming along. Anyways she got me laughing TO TEARS. I don't think I have laughed this hard on my mission.
"Girl I be baptist my WHOLE LIFE. Yall been to da baptist church? Shooot! Dey be crazy in dur, screamin and hollerin!!! One day in church dis lady she get up and she start RUNNIN FULL SPEAD round the CHURCH! She be shouting, "I CAUGHT DAA HOLY GHOST!" Shooooot she don't catch no Holy Ghost! Dat girl be actin a fool, das all she goin on catchin. Ooooh and dem pastures. Dey be growlin up der just GRROOOWWWLLINNN dey ain't speakin scripture, dey just be growlin about dem lives and stuff. Girl dat church be crazy. I be in dat church my whole life, but it ain't no place of reverence. Dey be shoutin and singin and dancin. Break dancin. All kinda crazy stuff. It fo yo own entertainment, dat all dat good for." Man I wish I could record the things I hear here. People are sooo funny. I honestly love each person I meet from the bottom of my heart. They are amazing.
So after we saw miss Verline we went to the church to get ready for...Catia's baptism! My first baptism. It was lovely. Tia is 13. She is a beautiful young girl. She loves the gospel. Her baptism went really well. Her older sister Ire just got baptized last year in September. She spoke about the Holy Ghost and it was one of the best talks from the heart I have ever heard. It was really touching. They had a bunch of family there. Ire and Tia are such great examples to them, they all want to learn and be taught. It is really amazing to see how one life changed goes on and blesses so many other lives. That is what the Gospel does. It blesses you. Your family. Your friends. Your life. Ire's boyfriend will be baptized soon too. And they want to get married in the temple. Amazing people here!
I leave to Milano, Italia in ONE WEEK and a day. Tuesday, April 5th. It will be SOO sad to leave these incredible people. I love them soo much. I am so thankful I have had this opportunity to serve here. What a huge blessing from Heavenly Father. Each person has touched my life, and taught me things that I will never ever forget. I LOVE THEM! I am excited for Italy. But this next week my companion and I plan to work EXTRA EXTRA hard. Be everywhere we gotta be. Teach as many people as possible. It is going to be a week FULL of miracles, I am sure. That is what happens when you work hard and live right. It is returned to you from Heavenly Father, x1000. PLEASE everyone that is reading this. Remember our Father in Heaven who has given us EVERYTHING. Remember his Son who is our SAVIOR. Take a step closer to them, and see the miracles and blessings pour into your life.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Love
Sister Simkins