Week 28

Hello everyone!

This week has been good!  Monday we didn't do too much, but Tuesday was exciting.  We have members of the Relief Society in one of our wards signed up to take us out for one hour to either go Visiting Teaching or to go contact someone with them.  Well on Tuesday we were taken out by a member to go to see a less-active member that is a good friend of hers.  We had a wonderful visit with her and hope to be able to work with her some more!  She was very open to us coming over and was just very nice.  Out here we visit people from one end of the spectrum to the other.  Some cuss at us and shoo us away; some don't ever answer the door; some are never home, etc.  So as always, it is refreshing to visit someone who is very nice to us and is willing to have a conversation with us!  Then we were able to go to a Relief Society activity and make some banners and get to know the members more, which I was grateful for since I am still new to the area.  It's so different from being a greenie.  I almost want to watch my interaction with the members when I was a real greenie.  I guess my perspective on everything has changed and I just am so much more open to talk to anyone and everyone.  Everyone on earth has something to offer.  I've learned so much from members, investigators, less-actives and so on and so forth.  It's just amazing and am feeling so grateful to be out serving a mission!  Then Wednesday we had District Meeting then finished studies and let Sister Stevens rest because she had a bad cold, so we thought.  Well Thursday I wasn't feeling well, so we didn't see too many people, but we still taught a little bit.  Then Friday we went to the doctor to find out that we had sinus infections, so we got our drugs then came home and napped off and on throughout the day.  Then Saturday we didn't go out either, because we still weren't feeling too great.  Then Sunday was good, it was long because I still wasn't feeling well because my sinus infection was still running it's course, but we were able to make it through all of our meetings and for that I am grateful!  Then we had my first lesson with an investigator named Dianne at a member's home.  It was such a great lesson and I am so excited to be able to work with her!  She is a really neat lady and is basically ready for baptism after quitting smoking and drinking coffee and getting married to her boyfriend!  So that was exciting!  Then yesterday we cleaned a lot and went shopping then rested some more at the apartment.  Sorry I wasn't able to email yesterday, I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!  I love you all!!!  

Love,

Sister Zimmerman

 

 Sister Stevens and I waiting for blessings outside of a members home in our car, with Ted their cat.

 Our cute little apartment in Show Low

​we only have a couch because we are in a members apartment...they don't live there but they own it, and this is their couch so we are pretty grateful for it, at least I am

Week 27

Dear all who will read this,

This week has been INCREDIBLE!!!!  Being able to start over as a better missionary with a new companion and a new area is so refreshing!!!  Every day we have been guided by the spirit and have been so busy every day!  Wednesday night we had a lesson with an investigator and his wife who is a member.  The lesson was so amazing!!  I could feel the spirit the whole lesson and he just gets the gospel.  He's so ready for baptism!!  He wants to wait until August to be baptized, but I am happy to know that he will be ready to be baptized when he feels it is the right time.  So that was a great way to start off this week!  Then Thursday we had a lesson with a less-active member and her husband who wants to be baptized.  It was an interesting lesson, and we aren't too sure that he will be able to be baptized soon, unless he understands the importance better.  But they came to church on Sunday so that was good!  Then we saw some other less-active members and some members just to uplift them with a short and sweet message!  Then Friday we first saw a member just to introduce me to members in the ward.  We had a great visit, but had to leave early because we had to go to a lesson with a less-active member who lives in an Assisted Living.  For all of you who know me, you know that I was just a little excited that I got to go to an Assisted Living and we can go often to visit other people because it is in our area!!! :) :)  Anyway, the lesson there was great!  The lesson started off with the member calling us to repentance about not having started the last two lessons with a prayer.  That right there made me happy!  It was a great lesson with her and she came to church which always makes me happy!!!! :)  Then we met some more members in the ward.  I wish I could express how happy I have been this week getting to know people in these two wards I get to serve in!  Then Saturday we got to go to the Community Garden to help out wherever they needed us.  We both watered some different plants and both got some sun and got a little wet.  It was awesome!  :)  Then we had a lesson with a young man who is less-active and it sounded like he was ready to repent, so that's always a good thing!  Then we had another lesson with the investigator we saw earlier in the week and it went better than we thought!  Then we had a lesson with a Recent Convert couple and it was awesome!!!  It was so cool!!  But, they didn't come to church, so apparently it wasn't as awesome as we thought. Then Sunday was great!  We cover two wards so we went to Ward Council in one ward, then Sacrament of the other ward, then went home for a snack before going back to the first ward and then stayed until that ended.  Then we came home and ate and studied, then went to dinner, then had a lesson with a less-active couple who I already really love!  It was such a good week and I am sorry I haven't taken pictures of how it is up here, I will try to be better this week!  I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!!!

Love,

Sister Zimmerman 

Holding a parrot named Ollie at a members house for dinner

 

Week 26 - Transfered to Show Low in the White Mountains!!

Hello Everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful week and that you all appreciated being close to your mothers!  This week has been great!  On Tuesday we went to the Peterson's because I had been thinking of them all day.  So we stopped by and they told us a miracle!  We finally committed them to pay tithing recently so they paid in on May 1st.  On Tuesday we found out that Brother Peterson got a promotion in work that will be a full-time position which also includes higher pay and benefits!  This is so wonderful!!!  Sister Peterson had worked their budget down to the CENT to pay tithing.  And just a few days later Heavenly Father started opening the windows of Heaven to them.  That was probably my favorite day this week!  It feels so good to see someone progress in your area!   Then Wednesday we had Zone Training Meeting which was great!  We learned a lot from all of the different trainings on how to be better missionaries!  Then on Thursday we saw Don and Rene.  We had great visits with them and I am so grateful to have seen Don progress so much since I have met him.  Then Saturday we went out to lunch with Don because we were pretty sure I was leaving.  Then we visited another less-active and were able to go to an Assisted Living out of our area to visit a member who recently had her appendix burst and a stroke.  We only visited for a short while but it was fun being able to go to an Assisted Living!  Then on Sunday we visited the Petersons again and had a great conversation with them and I was just so beyond grateful to have seen the gospel bless their lives!  Then Monday I had to say goodbye to Sarah which was sad because she was my first baptism.  She will be a great member though!  Then Tuesday we had transfers!  I left Arcadia after 5 and a half months of serving there, and am now up in Show Low.  We have the Show Low first ward and Rainbow Lake wards.  It is only 65 degrees outside and I couldn't be happier!  And last night I saw stars again!!!!!  There was a full moon out, so you couldn't see too many, but you could definitely see more than from the city!  My new companion is Sister Stevens and she has been out for 10 months, she is from Texas, and I already love her to death.  We are both just a little excited about this transfer!  It was hard to leave Arcadia, but I am also grateful to have a new perspective with a new companion and a new area.  I hope you all are doing wonderful!!

Love,

Sister Zimmerman

 

 Last picture in Arcadia!

 

New Companion Sis. Stevens in Show Low

Cacti covered Mountians

Week 25

Hello Everyone!!!

Well, this week wasn't too exciting, so I apologize.  I have had health problems and we have run into other things that have been in the way of getting out and proselyting for more than a few hours, but those few hours are quite precious anyhow!  Most of the week we just worked with our Less-active members and our Recent Converts.  On Monday we were able to meet with Sarah which was exciting!  She is so sweet and she just makes me happy!  In fact she sat by us yesterday at church and she leaned over and said, "you both are doing such a great job, I'm so proud of you."  It warmed my heart and I felt like these past 5 and a half months really have been worth it.  Some of you may know how hard it is to be in an area where there aren't a lot of investigators, but when someone you have worked with for so long leans over and says that to you, it just warms you up!  So we got to meet with her which was exciting!  Then on Wednesday, we were trying to contact a potential investigator and he didn't answer the door, but he came out from behind the house and asked "what are you doing?"  and we told him who we were looking for, and he hadn't heard of him before.  This isn't unusual, but man, the next missionaries who come into this area will be so grateful for my efforts in cleaning out our area!  ;)  So we walk down his driveway, and there's an old man walking toward us and says "now there's two young ladies I'd like to talk to!"  If everyone on the street greeted us like that, I think we would be in the Celestial Kingdom.  We had a nice little chat with him and found out that some famous mormons lived across the street....I won't tell who but it was fun to hear a familiar name!  But we were able to have a little conversation with him and it was great!  He said he wasn't interested, but he was very nice and went on his way!   And yesterday we had a Mission President's fireside where one of our Recent Converts spoke.   He did a great job and make a few people tear up, which is a good thing!  I also want to mention that as members, we  ALL need to be welcoming to those who come to our church services.  If someone doesn't feel welcome at the first visit, or even throughout their conversion, you may be turning them away from a gospel that gives so much of us hope and peace!  I love you all and hope you have a WONDERFUL week!!  Read up on my blog next Wednesday for another update!  ;)

Love, Sister Zimmerman

 Love me some green smoothies!  They have: spinach, apple, banana, carrots, cucumbers, almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds, coconut oil, sometimes frozen fruit.  Soo healthy!  They're good too after a while

oh the clothes you find in a bag of leftover clothes from sisters! :)  Remember to "chill out!"  :)