6/25/12
Hello Family!
It is great to be able to email you. One quick note, if anyone
receives or has received an email from me at a weird time, like 1:30
AM, its just a delay in the email. Its not me! FYI, for everyone... so
don't worry. :) The "myldsmail" is filtered and probably monitored to
some extent, so that probably explains the delays when they happen.
I had someone tell me today that we (missionaries) are "prisoners" to
our religion" and that we are only trying to "work our way to heaven."
Well... that would be a sad life. If it were true, I would've stopped
being a Mormon a long time ago. First of all... there is nothing in me
that is saying "Oh, you need to go on a mission because that will get
you into heaven." Nor is there anything that the church says that says
that we go on missions only to get into heaven. We don't do any work
in the church strictly to work our way to heaven. That is a sad and
void motivation. If we do "works" with the intent of "working our way
to heaven," that is selfish. There are a lot of motivations I can name
that were influential in me coming on a mission. But the main one came
when I was pleading with God one day, for direction in my life. I felt
like my life was on hold. I felt like I was not progressing. I felt
like I would never be able to make it on my mission. I felt like, "why
not just stay home, go to school, work, get married, and continue on
with life? I can do that now, and I will be happy!" But then something
struck me with more force than ever before...I thought to myself: "I
need to go on a mission. Because somewhere in the world... whether its
in a home in North America or a hut in Africa somewhere, someone needs
to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ... specifically from YOU." There
was no thought that said "You need to go on a mission so you can work
your way to heaven."
About 99 percent of people I've met in the church do "works" because
we know are all on this crazy lost planet, and we are all searching
for a couple of things. We are searching for belonging, we are
searching for LOVE. We do "works" because it is through callings,
missions, so-called "works" that we help each other out and help each
other find our way back HOME. If it wasn't for this motivation... if
it wasn't for this gospel... I would be sitting around like a sloth,
with no purpose in life. (Brown Clown has accused me of being that
before--when it was true)... I have felt like that before!! And it is
this Gospel that picked me up out of the slums of my natural man, that
continues to pick me up out of the slums every day. It inspires me to
be better- to myself, and to the people around me. It helps me see the
path that I must take to be with my family forever. It helps me see
what I can do NOW to have happiness NOW, and what I can do to feel
happiness after death.
Because of Jesus Christ... we can have LIFE. Life after death, and a
new life at any moment we choose. We can choose to start over any
time. Failure only happens when we choose to stay down in the slums of
life. Success happens when we choose to get back up after we fall. Day
after day, moment after moment. The Gospel of Jesus Christ allows us
to improve each day, each moment. As long as we CHOOSE to do so. This
person who told me I was a prisoner also told me all the "rules" are
just made up by religions to... I don't know, keep us captive or
something. I know the "rules" are there to keep us safe. Safe from
emotional turmoil. God wants us to be happy. I know because I have
broken many rules. I have felt the emotional turmoil. And I have felt
encircled by the arms of God's love. He hears me every day, and He
heals me every day. I am so grateful.
I'm sorry I go on crazy psycho rants. I love this work, I know this
work is true. Otherwise, I WOULD NOT be on a mission. I would not
spend 2 years for something that I didn't believe in with all of my
heart. And I guess it bothers me when people accuse me of doing
otherwise.
My family... I love you. I miss you. I'm grateful for you.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Laus Deo
6/18/12
Hi Family!
It's great to have this opportunity every week to write you. There is
at least one more name I think I forgot to include last week. The
Sillars. I'm not sure what her name would have been when she knew
Grandma and Grandpa Oles, she was a teenager at the time. Her name is
Carol Sillars now. She says she remembers seeing a drawing one time
and she asked her dad "Wow, Dad! who drew that picture?" And he told
her that Brother Oles did. She and her husband had us over for dinner
last night, and she brought that up again and she also said to me "I
see your Grandpa everytime I see you." Which I thought was neat. A
compliment, too! Grandpa was a handsome guy! I have a photocopy of a
page from the Brantford Ward history book thing that Brother Hampshire
made. It has a picture of you, Mom, and some of your siblings, and
also Grandma and Grandpa as a fairly young couple with two kids (not
sure who the kids are in that one). Also, this next thing is pretty
exciting if I can contact him. Did Grandpa Oles have a brother named
Donald? I think I remember hearing his name before. I was looking in
the Brantford phone book and there is only one Oles in there, and it
is Donald Oles. I think I am going to call him and see if we can visit
him! I'll let you know next week how it goes if I'm able to meet with
him before then.
There is a lady in the ward here named Lydia, who is an amazing woman!
She is from Kenya. She has a super cool accent, and when she prays or
speaks it is electrifying! Well, maybe not that intense, but I
couldn't think of a cool word besides that. Everytime someone else
prays she always nods and says aloud "Mmm hmm, yes!" and stuff like
that. I kind of wish I could pull that off, but I think people would
look at me funny. I do nod during prayers though... but usually no one
sees that. So I guess I was spying on Lydia while someone was praying
because I know she nods. I have never met someone so grateful and so
full of Charity as Lydia. She has been away from her family in Kenya
for quite some time, and she is dealing with many challenges at the
present time, yet she is always so happy, so willing to help, and she
always says "God is good... all the time!" What an attitude! I want to
have an attitude like Lydia. When I feel down, when I feel alone, when
I feel angry, when I feel weak, when I feel anything that is negative
or bitter... I want to be able to think of all of my blessings and all
that God has done for me, I want to be able to put a smile on my face
and say "God is good... all the time!" I never hear a word of malice
come from Lydia. She truly lives the principle "With malice toward
none, with charity for all" that Abraham Lincoln said in one of his
speeches. I am grateful for Lydia's example. Lydia's friendship
brought someone into the waters of baptism yesterday. Elder Johnson
was able to baptize Reema, whom we have been teaching for the past
month or so. Lydia has been a best friend to Reema, and really,
because of her, Reema chose a path that makes her happy.
"With malice toward NONE, and charity for ALL" is the only thing that
will unite us as a human family. If we recognize the one simple truth
that everything we have comes from God, and if we look to fill our
lives with truth, light, and love... we will be happy. We will be able
to remember, even after times of weakness and darkness, that "God is
good... all the time!" and we can help brighten someone's day because
of the smile on our face. God is the source of truth, light, and love.
We are God's children, and we have that light within us... we just
have to uncover it, and let it shine! One small act of love, followed
by another... and another... will change the world.
I love all of you. I'm grateful for all of you and each experience
I've had with each of you, because that's how we grow. Through
experiences, good and bad. I'm mindful of you in my prayers, and again
I hope I can be in yours as well.
Laus Deo is latin for "praise be to God."
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
-PS- I attached a picture of us and Reema. Warning, the picture is
botched. Almost as botched as Brown Clown's face.
Hi Family!
It's great to have this opportunity every week to write you. There is
at least one more name I think I forgot to include last week. The
Sillars. I'm not sure what her name would have been when she knew
Grandma and Grandpa Oles, she was a teenager at the time. Her name is
Carol Sillars now. She says she remembers seeing a drawing one time
and she asked her dad "Wow, Dad! who drew that picture?" And he told
her that Brother Oles did. She and her husband had us over for dinner
last night, and she brought that up again and she also said to me "I
see your Grandpa everytime I see you." Which I thought was neat. A
compliment, too! Grandpa was a handsome guy! I have a photocopy of a
page from the Brantford Ward history book thing that Brother Hampshire
made. It has a picture of you, Mom, and some of your siblings, and
also Grandma and Grandpa as a fairly young couple with two kids (not
sure who the kids are in that one). Also, this next thing is pretty
exciting if I can contact him. Did Grandpa Oles have a brother named
Donald? I think I remember hearing his name before. I was looking in
the Brantford phone book and there is only one Oles in there, and it
is Donald Oles. I think I am going to call him and see if we can visit
him! I'll let you know next week how it goes if I'm able to meet with
him before then.
There is a lady in the ward here named Lydia, who is an amazing woman!
She is from Kenya. She has a super cool accent, and when she prays or
speaks it is electrifying! Well, maybe not that intense, but I
couldn't think of a cool word besides that. Everytime someone else
prays she always nods and says aloud "Mmm hmm, yes!" and stuff like
that. I kind of wish I could pull that off, but I think people would
look at me funny. I do nod during prayers though... but usually no one
sees that. So I guess I was spying on Lydia while someone was praying
because I know she nods. I have never met someone so grateful and so
full of Charity as Lydia. She has been away from her family in Kenya
for quite some time, and she is dealing with many challenges at the
present time, yet she is always so happy, so willing to help, and she
always says "God is good... all the time!" What an attitude! I want to
have an attitude like Lydia. When I feel down, when I feel alone, when
I feel angry, when I feel weak, when I feel anything that is negative
or bitter... I want to be able to think of all of my blessings and all
that God has done for me, I want to be able to put a smile on my face
and say "God is good... all the time!" I never hear a word of malice
come from Lydia. She truly lives the principle "With malice toward
none, with charity for all" that Abraham Lincoln said in one of his
speeches. I am grateful for Lydia's example. Lydia's friendship
brought someone into the waters of baptism yesterday. Elder Johnson
was able to baptize Reema, whom we have been teaching for the past
month or so. Lydia has been a best friend to Reema, and really,
because of her, Reema chose a path that makes her happy.
"With malice toward NONE, and charity for ALL" is the only thing that
will unite us as a human family. If we recognize the one simple truth
that everything we have comes from God, and if we look to fill our
lives with truth, light, and love... we will be happy. We will be able
to remember, even after times of weakness and darkness, that "God is
good... all the time!" and we can help brighten someone's day because
of the smile on our face. God is the source of truth, light, and love.
We are God's children, and we have that light within us... we just
have to uncover it, and let it shine! One small act of love, followed
by another... and another... will change the world.
I love all of you. I'm grateful for all of you and each experience
I've had with each of you, because that's how we grow. Through
experiences, good and bad. I'm mindful of you in my prayers, and again
I hope I can be in yours as well.
Laus Deo is latin for "praise be to God."
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
-PS- I attached a picture of us and Reema. Warning, the picture is
botched. Almost as botched as Brown Clown's face.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Bread Crumbs
6/11/12
Hey Family!
This week has been a very busy week here in Brantford. It has been a
week full of opposition and a week full of good things as well. Before
I forget again- the only people who I know we are related to somehow
is the Taylor family. Judy Taylor is a Davis, and is somehow related
to Welby Davis. But I have lots of names of people who knew Grandma
and Grandpa Oles, and lots of people have told me I look a little bit
like Grandpa. Here are the names: Jean Sheldon (or Shelton), Linda and
Dale Crandall, Sister Berkley (I'm told was your primary teacher,
Mom), and the Hampshire family, Brother Hampshire was a Branch
President here in Brantford way back in the day, and Grandpa Oles was
one of his counselors before they moved to Salt Lake City. So that's
really cool! I find out new things every week. I'm anxious to learn
more about our roots, and to find out the reasons why I'm here in
Brantford. Because I know it is not just a coincidence.
I'm a huge believer in bread crumbs. I like to define bread crumbs as
a trail of events leading to something that is meant to happen. I've
had lots of those events in my life, and we had one just on Saturday
night with a potential investigator. It was 9:00 pm, so we were
finished for the day. But before we headed home, we were going to stop
for a "Sunday Eve Treat," which is what my companion likes to call
getting a McFlurry. But this time he was undecided/leaving it up to me
to decide, and we were by a McDonalds, a Wendys, an A&W, and a Fast
Eddies (kind of like Rallys or Checkers). We were going to drive to
the other side of town, but then we realized we were by all of these
places already, so we stayed.
I suck at telling stories... but I will continue anyways. We first
stopped at A&W to see if they had milkshakes, because apparently some
do and some don't. We drove through and asked, and the girl said no.
So then we asked her if she thought we should go to McDonalds or Fast
Eddies, and she recommended Fast Eddies. So off we went across the
street to Fast Eddies!! Then came the next dilemma. Walk up, or drive
thru? I wanted to walk up, so we did. I was the driver so I was kind
of in control that night. (My companion later on said he was just
being nice, he wanted to drive thru-- that little detail is important
as you will see) We were walking up and some guy yelled from his pick
up truck "Hey! You guys have walked quite a long distance today, huh?"
We went and talked to him as he was parked for a minute. He went on to
say that he saw us earlier as we were walking, then saw us again just
then walking up to Fast Eddies. And he said something like "I don't
know, I just felt like I should come talk to you guys. This is the
second time I've seen you, so maybe its a coincidence but I don't
really think it is." The guy's name is Brandon, he is 22 years old,
and we met with him on our porch yesterday afternoon for about 45
minutes or so. We're meeting with him again tonight at 8:00. The most
exciting thing about him is that he is SO open. He is WAY into
positive energy kind of stuff. And he tells us constantly that he
thinks he is talking to us for a reason. He also mentioned that he saw
missionaries like us a year ago, but never had the time to call us or
anything.
Alright... so I feel like that story is very anti-climatic in an
email. But its way more exciting in my head, just so you know. The
point was, there were so many silly little things that led to us
meeting him. Things that if hadn't happened, we wouldn't have seen him
as he was driving through that very parking lot at that very time...
just sayin'... And I know there is a reason why we met him.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ allows people to be diverse. It might not
seem like it from the outside, or even on the inside sometimes. But I
know that God has created us all to be unique. We all have our own,
specific and unique "piece of the puzzle." A lot of Mormons would
automatically think "Oh, positive energy... that's weird." and feel
like someone into that doesn't fit into the imaginary cultural bubble
of mormonism. Or some would even say that my bread crumbs theory,
which I stole from Glenn Beck's book "The 7", is a weird theory and
that not everything happens for a reason. Take GB for an example. He
is hated, he is loved, both by mormons and non mormons. Not all
mormons have to have the same political views, or the same opinions
about government or any other silly political thing. Or views about
fate, or psychology, or science... we all are different. We are all
unique. We are all individuals in a huge human family.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us a way to constantly improve
ourselves, and teaches us how we should treat each other. That is why
I believe the only thing that will ever unite us as a human family is
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There isnothing to lose. Test it for
yourself if you haven't already done so, and I promise you will find
answers you are looking for, or you will find the void inside of you-
that you didn't know existed- being filled.
I love you all. I love hearing from you. You're in my thoughts and
prayers, and I hope I can be in yours as I do need them every day.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Hey Family!
This week has been a very busy week here in Brantford. It has been a
week full of opposition and a week full of good things as well. Before
I forget again- the only people who I know we are related to somehow
is the Taylor family. Judy Taylor is a Davis, and is somehow related
to Welby Davis. But I have lots of names of people who knew Grandma
and Grandpa Oles, and lots of people have told me I look a little bit
like Grandpa. Here are the names: Jean Sheldon (or Shelton), Linda and
Dale Crandall, Sister Berkley (I'm told was your primary teacher,
Mom), and the Hampshire family, Brother Hampshire was a Branch
President here in Brantford way back in the day, and Grandpa Oles was
one of his counselors before they moved to Salt Lake City. So that's
really cool! I find out new things every week. I'm anxious to learn
more about our roots, and to find out the reasons why I'm here in
Brantford. Because I know it is not just a coincidence.
I'm a huge believer in bread crumbs. I like to define bread crumbs as
a trail of events leading to something that is meant to happen. I've
had lots of those events in my life, and we had one just on Saturday
night with a potential investigator. It was 9:00 pm, so we were
finished for the day. But before we headed home, we were going to stop
for a "Sunday Eve Treat," which is what my companion likes to call
getting a McFlurry. But this time he was undecided/leaving it up to me
to decide, and we were by a McDonalds, a Wendys, an A&W, and a Fast
Eddies (kind of like Rallys or Checkers). We were going to drive to
the other side of town, but then we realized we were by all of these
places already, so we stayed.
I suck at telling stories... but I will continue anyways. We first
stopped at A&W to see if they had milkshakes, because apparently some
do and some don't. We drove through and asked, and the girl said no.
So then we asked her if she thought we should go to McDonalds or Fast
Eddies, and she recommended Fast Eddies. So off we went across the
street to Fast Eddies!! Then came the next dilemma. Walk up, or drive
thru? I wanted to walk up, so we did. I was the driver so I was kind
of in control that night. (My companion later on said he was just
being nice, he wanted to drive thru-- that little detail is important
as you will see) We were walking up and some guy yelled from his pick
up truck "Hey! You guys have walked quite a long distance today, huh?"
We went and talked to him as he was parked for a minute. He went on to
say that he saw us earlier as we were walking, then saw us again just
then walking up to Fast Eddies. And he said something like "I don't
know, I just felt like I should come talk to you guys. This is the
second time I've seen you, so maybe its a coincidence but I don't
really think it is." The guy's name is Brandon, he is 22 years old,
and we met with him on our porch yesterday afternoon for about 45
minutes or so. We're meeting with him again tonight at 8:00. The most
exciting thing about him is that he is SO open. He is WAY into
positive energy kind of stuff. And he tells us constantly that he
thinks he is talking to us for a reason. He also mentioned that he saw
missionaries like us a year ago, but never had the time to call us or
anything.
Alright... so I feel like that story is very anti-climatic in an
email. But its way more exciting in my head, just so you know. The
point was, there were so many silly little things that led to us
meeting him. Things that if hadn't happened, we wouldn't have seen him
as he was driving through that very parking lot at that very time...
just sayin'... And I know there is a reason why we met him.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ allows people to be diverse. It might not
seem like it from the outside, or even on the inside sometimes. But I
know that God has created us all to be unique. We all have our own,
specific and unique "piece of the puzzle." A lot of Mormons would
automatically think "Oh, positive energy... that's weird." and feel
like someone into that doesn't fit into the imaginary cultural bubble
of mormonism. Or some would even say that my bread crumbs theory,
which I stole from Glenn Beck's book "The 7", is a weird theory and
that not everything happens for a reason. Take GB for an example. He
is hated, he is loved, both by mormons and non mormons. Not all
mormons have to have the same political views, or the same opinions
about government or any other silly political thing. Or views about
fate, or psychology, or science... we all are different. We are all
unique. We are all individuals in a huge human family.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us a way to constantly improve
ourselves, and teaches us how we should treat each other. That is why
I believe the only thing that will ever unite us as a human family is
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There isnothing to lose. Test it for
yourself if you haven't already done so, and I promise you will find
answers you are looking for, or you will find the void inside of you-
that you didn't know existed- being filled.
I love you all. I love hearing from you. You're in my thoughts and
prayers, and I hope I can be in yours as I do need them every day.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Bread Crumbs
6/11/12
Hey Family!
This week has been a very busy week here in Brantford. It has been a
week full of opposition and a week full of good things as well. Before
I forget again- the only people who I know we are related to somehow
is the Taylor family. Judy Taylor is a Davis, and is somehow related
to Welby Davis. But I have lots of names of people who knew Grandma
and Grandpa Oles, and lots of people have told me I look a little bit
like Grandpa. Here are the names: Jean Sheldon (or Shelton), Linda and
Dale Crandall, Sister Berkley (I'm told was your primary teacher,
Mom), and the Hampshire family, Brother Hampshire was a Branch
President here in Brantford way back in the day, and Grandpa Oles was
one of his counselors before they moved to Salt Lake City. So that's
really cool! I find out new things every week. I'm anxious to learn
more about our roots, and to find out the reasons why I'm here in
Brantford. Because I know it is not just a coincidence.
I'm a huge believer in bread crumbs. I like to define bread crumbs as
a trail of events leading to something that is meant to happen. I've
had lots of those events in my life, and we had one just on Saturday
night with a potential investigator. It was 9:00 pm, so we were
finished for the day. But before we headed home, we were going to stop
for a "Sunday Eve Treat," which is what my companion likes to call
getting a McFlurry. But this time he was undecided/leaving it up to me
to decide, and we were by a McDonalds, a Wendys, an A&W, and a Fast
Eddies (kind of like Rallys or Checkers). We were going to drive to
the other side of town, but then we realized we were by all of these
places already, so we stayed.
I suck at telling stories... but I will continue anyways. We first
stopped at A&W to see if they had milkshakes, because apparently some
do and some don't. We drove through and asked, and the girl said no.
So then we asked her if she thought we should go to McDonalds or Fast
Eddies, and she recommended Fast Eddies. So off we went across the
street to Fast Eddies!! Then came the next dilemma. Walk up, or drive
thru? I wanted to walk up, so we did. I was the driver so I was kind
of in control that night. (My companion later on said he was just
being nice, he wanted to drive thru-- that little detail is important
as you will see) We were walking up and some guy yelled from his pick
up truck "Hey! You guys have walked quite a long distance today, huh?"
We went and talked to him as he was parked for a minute. He went on to
say that he saw us earlier as we were walking, then saw us again just
then walking up to Fast Eddies. And he said something like "I don't
know, I just felt like I should come talk to you guys. This is the
second time I've seen you, so maybe its a coincidence but I don't
really think it is." The guy's name is Brandon, he is 22 years old,
and we met with him on our porch yesterday afternoon for about 45
minutes or so. We're meeting with him again tonight at 8:00. The most
exciting thing about him is that he is SO open. He is WAY into
positive energy kind of stuff. And he tells us constantly that he
thinks he is talking to us for a reason. He also mentioned that he saw
missionaries like us a year ago, but never had the time to call us or
anything.
Alright... so I feel like that story is very anti-climatic in an
email. But its way more exciting in my head, just so you know. The
point was, there were so many silly little things that led to us
meeting him. Things that if hadn't happened, we wouldn't have seen him
as he was driving through that very parking lot at that very time...
just sayin'... And I know there is a reason why we met him.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ allows people to be diverse. It might not
seem like it from the outside, or even on the inside sometimes. But I
know that God has created us all to be unique. We all have our own,
specific and unique "piece of the puzzle." A lot of Mormons would
automatically think "Oh, positive energy... that's weird." and feel
like someone into that doesn't fit into the imaginary cultural bubble
of mormonism. Or some would even say that my bread crumbs theory,
which I stole from Glenn Beck's book "The 7", is a weird theory and
that not everything happens for a reason. Take GB for an example. He
is hated, he is loved, both by mormons and non mormons. Not all
mormons have to have the same political views, or the same opinions
about government or any other silly political thing. Or views about
fate, or psychology, or science... we all are different. We are all
unique. We are all individuals in a huge human family.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us a way to constantly improve
ourselves, and teaches us how we should treat each other. That is why
I believe the only thing that will ever unite us as a human family is
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There isnothing to lose. Test it for
yourself if you haven't already done so, and I promise you will find
answers you are looking for, or you will find the void inside of you-
that you didn't know existed- being filled.
I love you all. I love hearing from you. You're in my thoughts and
prayers, and I hope I can be in yours as I do need them every day.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Hey Family!
This week has been a very busy week here in Brantford. It has been a
week full of opposition and a week full of good things as well. Before
I forget again- the only people who I know we are related to somehow
is the Taylor family. Judy Taylor is a Davis, and is somehow related
to Welby Davis. But I have lots of names of people who knew Grandma
and Grandpa Oles, and lots of people have told me I look a little bit
like Grandpa. Here are the names: Jean Sheldon (or Shelton), Linda and
Dale Crandall, Sister Berkley (I'm told was your primary teacher,
Mom), and the Hampshire family, Brother Hampshire was a Branch
President here in Brantford way back in the day, and Grandpa Oles was
one of his counselors before they moved to Salt Lake City. So that's
really cool! I find out new things every week. I'm anxious to learn
more about our roots, and to find out the reasons why I'm here in
Brantford. Because I know it is not just a coincidence.
I'm a huge believer in bread crumbs. I like to define bread crumbs as
a trail of events leading to something that is meant to happen. I've
had lots of those events in my life, and we had one just on Saturday
night with a potential investigator. It was 9:00 pm, so we were
finished for the day. But before we headed home, we were going to stop
for a "Sunday Eve Treat," which is what my companion likes to call
getting a McFlurry. But this time he was undecided/leaving it up to me
to decide, and we were by a McDonalds, a Wendys, an A&W, and a Fast
Eddies (kind of like Rallys or Checkers). We were going to drive to
the other side of town, but then we realized we were by all of these
places already, so we stayed.
I suck at telling stories... but I will continue anyways. We first
stopped at A&W to see if they had milkshakes, because apparently some
do and some don't. We drove through and asked, and the girl said no.
So then we asked her if she thought we should go to McDonalds or Fast
Eddies, and she recommended Fast Eddies. So off we went across the
street to Fast Eddies!! Then came the next dilemma. Walk up, or drive
thru? I wanted to walk up, so we did. I was the driver so I was kind
of in control that night. (My companion later on said he was just
being nice, he wanted to drive thru-- that little detail is important
as you will see) We were walking up and some guy yelled from his pick
up truck "Hey! You guys have walked quite a long distance today, huh?"
We went and talked to him as he was parked for a minute. He went on to
say that he saw us earlier as we were walking, then saw us again just
then walking up to Fast Eddies. And he said something like "I don't
know, I just felt like I should come talk to you guys. This is the
second time I've seen you, so maybe its a coincidence but I don't
really think it is." The guy's name is Brandon, he is 22 years old,
and we met with him on our porch yesterday afternoon for about 45
minutes or so. We're meeting with him again tonight at 8:00. The most
exciting thing about him is that he is SO open. He is WAY into
positive energy kind of stuff. And he tells us constantly that he
thinks he is talking to us for a reason. He also mentioned that he saw
missionaries like us a year ago, but never had the time to call us or
anything.
Alright... so I feel like that story is very anti-climatic in an
email. But its way more exciting in my head, just so you know. The
point was, there were so many silly little things that led to us
meeting him. Things that if hadn't happened, we wouldn't have seen him
as he was driving through that very parking lot at that very time...
just sayin'... And I know there is a reason why we met him.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ allows people to be diverse. It might not
seem like it from the outside, or even on the inside sometimes. But I
know that God has created us all to be unique. We all have our own,
specific and unique "piece of the puzzle." A lot of Mormons would
automatically think "Oh, positive energy... that's weird." and feel
like someone into that doesn't fit into the imaginary cultural bubble
of mormonism. Or some would even say that my bread crumbs theory,
which I stole from Glenn Beck's book "The 7", is a weird theory and
that not everything happens for a reason. Take GB for an example. He
is hated, he is loved, both by mormons and non mormons. Not all
mormons have to have the same political views, or the same opinions
about government or any other silly political thing. Or views about
fate, or psychology, or science... we all are different. We are all
unique. We are all individuals in a huge human family.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us a way to constantly improve
ourselves, and teaches us how we should treat each other. That is why
I believe the only thing that will ever unite us as a human family is
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There isnothing to lose. Test it for
yourself if you haven't already done so, and I promise you will find
answers you are looking for, or you will find the void inside of you-
that you didn't know existed- being filled.
I love you all. I love hearing from you. You're in my thoughts and
prayers, and I hope I can be in yours as I do need them every day.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
No Greater Joy
Hello Family!
We are emailing a little early today at the library. Don't know why, but I'm okay with it. It has been much more productive today, and not such a waste of a day like p-days sometimes turn out to be.
I hope everyone liked the picture of the burger. It was the best burger in the world!! Other than In-n-out. It was at this place in downtown Brantford called Admiral, its a burger and sub sandwich place. Which subs are always called Submarines here, which is kind of silly. Canadians do a lot of silly things like that. Anyways, it was called the double bacon cheese burger or something, but it actually had 3 super thick patties on it. So I guess that's another silly thing, because normally a double burger is 2 patties. Then, the bacon was peameal bacon, which is the "real" canadian bacon. Its basically a thick slice of ham that is covered in corn meal. Its really salty. There were 3 slices of that on the burger, which was a little too much, like brown clown's face, but it was still good. The burger was amazing. It was just something you had to take apart and eat. And the fries were amazing, and they fill up a whole take out container full of fries. Anyways... it was good. I should probably stop talking about it.
Last night a younger couple in the ward had us over for dinner... the guy's name is Brett, like me, and we started talking about politics. (which he brought up, and since no one cares about canadian politics, we decided it was okay and justifiable)... We have the exact same political views!! He is an American at heart, he said. And he was a Glenn Beck fan, like me obviously, so the discussion was pretty fun! Then before we were leaving they said we should take a personality test and compare it because we were so similar. His favorite color is blue... like me. His birthday is May 24th, which is 5 days before me. It was all pretty funny because we have so many similarities. It started getting creepy and we had to go, so we will do a real personality test some other time. So, the point of this little story is not to say I added another guy to my list of man-crushes, but its fun to meet people who you get along with so well. My companion at the MTC was like that, Brett Fleming (the guy I just talked about), and I'm sure I'll meet some more.
In President Scott's weekly email, he informed us that we are on track with reaching our goal of getting 65 baptisms this month, because we have 90 baptismal dates. Elder Johnson and I will most likely have 2 baptisms this month. Reema is a woman from India, who has lived in Canada for about 2 years. She came to church a couple weeks ago, and asked us whether she should get divorced... which we can't determine that, so we said she should pray about it. But she has really benefited from feeling the calm and peace that the Holy Spirit brings when you earnestly seek it. She wanted it and needed it, so she felt it. And she was so prepared to meet with us, so she will probably be getting baptized in a couple of weeks. Phil will probably be baptized at the end of the month. His family recently joined, but he wanted to finish the Book of Mormon before getting baptized. He has a strong testimony, and he is just solid all around. He is quitting smoking in preparation, so we just continue to call him and meet with him weekly or more often. It is exciting that we have these 2 baptisms to look forward to!
The biggest thing I've learned this past week, is that there is no greater joy than the joy we feel from doing the Lord's work. The first presidency tells us that in the beginning of Preach My Gospel, and sometimes you want to say "yeah... right!" But all of the pain or frustration that I feel usually stems from selfishness. Sometimes its not, but usually it is. But everyday we teach people, or visit people, or even on days that we just try to find people and it turns out to be unsuccessful, we still tried. And at the end of each day, I feel happy. We tried and we did our best to bring happiness to the people of Brantford. President Hinckley once said "The most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves. The happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others." It is true! Another good quote I love is "Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change." Stop looking at only yourself, or being concerned about ONLY yourself. LOSE YOURSELF in the service of others. I promise there is no greater joy than that which you will feel when you lose yourself in the service of others. That's what the gospel is all about. LOVE others, and treat others the way you would like to be treated.
I'm grateful for all of the birthday wishes and emails. You are all always in my prayers and thoughts. And I'm not just saying that. I literally pray for all of my family and friends by name, along with our investigators, so they turn out to be really long prayers!! But I'm just saying... I'm not lying when I tell you that. I hope I can remain in your prayers, because we all need them daily. The gospel is true. Jesus Christ loves us, He knows us personally, and He died for us. He rose again, and we will one day too. He lives! He has open arms, and He is begging us to turn to Him.
I love you all!
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
We are emailing a little early today at the library. Don't know why, but I'm okay with it. It has been much more productive today, and not such a waste of a day like p-days sometimes turn out to be.
I hope everyone liked the picture of the burger. It was the best burger in the world!! Other than In-n-out. It was at this place in downtown Brantford called Admiral, its a burger and sub sandwich place. Which subs are always called Submarines here, which is kind of silly. Canadians do a lot of silly things like that. Anyways, it was called the double bacon cheese burger or something, but it actually had 3 super thick patties on it. So I guess that's another silly thing, because normally a double burger is 2 patties. Then, the bacon was peameal bacon, which is the "real" canadian bacon. Its basically a thick slice of ham that is covered in corn meal. Its really salty. There were 3 slices of that on the burger, which was a little too much, like brown clown's face, but it was still good. The burger was amazing. It was just something you had to take apart and eat. And the fries were amazing, and they fill up a whole take out container full of fries. Anyways... it was good. I should probably stop talking about it.
Last night a younger couple in the ward had us over for dinner... the guy's name is Brett, like me, and we started talking about politics. (which he brought up, and since no one cares about canadian politics, we decided it was okay and justifiable)... We have the exact same political views!! He is an American at heart, he said. And he was a Glenn Beck fan, like me obviously, so the discussion was pretty fun! Then before we were leaving they said we should take a personality test and compare it because we were so similar. His favorite color is blue... like me. His birthday is May 24th, which is 5 days before me. It was all pretty funny because we have so many similarities. It started getting creepy and we had to go, so we will do a real personality test some other time. So, the point of this little story is not to say I added another guy to my list of man-crushes, but its fun to meet people who you get along with so well. My companion at the MTC was like that, Brett Fleming (the guy I just talked about), and I'm sure I'll meet some more.
In President Scott's weekly email, he informed us that we are on track with reaching our goal of getting 65 baptisms this month, because we have 90 baptismal dates. Elder Johnson and I will most likely have 2 baptisms this month. Reema is a woman from India, who has lived in Canada for about 2 years. She came to church a couple weeks ago, and asked us whether she should get divorced... which we can't determine that, so we said she should pray about it. But she has really benefited from feeling the calm and peace that the Holy Spirit brings when you earnestly seek it. She wanted it and needed it, so she felt it. And she was so prepared to meet with us, so she will probably be getting baptized in a couple of weeks. Phil will probably be baptized at the end of the month. His family recently joined, but he wanted to finish the Book of Mormon before getting baptized. He has a strong testimony, and he is just solid all around. He is quitting smoking in preparation, so we just continue to call him and meet with him weekly or more often. It is exciting that we have these 2 baptisms to look forward to!
The biggest thing I've learned this past week, is that there is no greater joy than the joy we feel from doing the Lord's work. The first presidency tells us that in the beginning of Preach My Gospel, and sometimes you want to say "yeah... right!" But all of the pain or frustration that I feel usually stems from selfishness. Sometimes its not, but usually it is. But everyday we teach people, or visit people, or even on days that we just try to find people and it turns out to be unsuccessful, we still tried. And at the end of each day, I feel happy. We tried and we did our best to bring happiness to the people of Brantford. President Hinckley once said "The most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves. The happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others." It is true! Another good quote I love is "Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change." Stop looking at only yourself, or being concerned about ONLY yourself. LOSE YOURSELF in the service of others. I promise there is no greater joy than that which you will feel when you lose yourself in the service of others. That's what the gospel is all about. LOVE others, and treat others the way you would like to be treated.
I'm grateful for all of the birthday wishes and emails. You are all always in my prayers and thoughts. And I'm not just saying that. I literally pray for all of my family and friends by name, along with our investigators, so they turn out to be really long prayers!! But I'm just saying... I'm not lying when I tell you that. I hope I can remain in your prayers, because we all need them daily. The gospel is true. Jesus Christ loves us, He knows us personally, and He died for us. He rose again, and we will one day too. He lives! He has open arms, and He is begging us to turn to Him.
I love you all!
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Friday, June 1, 2012
Brantford, week 2-or 3? I can't remember... :)
Hello Family!
I'm grateful for the emails I have received and the snail mail as
well. I want to insert a quick note- I really do enjoy every email and
every piece of mail I get. Missionaries get a little scatter brained
so if I don't mention you or say thank you for something... don't feel
bad. I really do enjoy everything I receive, and I'm grateful for
every bit of it! So, with that, I won't be sending a super long email
this week. But I'm sending some pictures through. I'm sending only 2
per email, because I'm not sure if the myldsmail server can handle any
more than that. This week has been a great week of continued learning
and growing, I feel closer to my companion than I did last week. I try
to see things from his shoes, and that helps me like him more. I am
really loving being here in Brantford. I've found out I'm related to
some people, but I'll have to write about that a different time. I
don't know the people at all, but its still neat. But I really feel
I'm here for a good reason, even if its just to feel to coolness of
being close to family roots. The Gospel is true, this church has its
fulness. Its not a cult run by a bunch of old judgemental white dudes.
There are the judgemental people, or the people who are super closed
minded. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about LOVE. I love each and
every one of you. I'm praying for you daily. Look to God and live...
Elder Brett Simper
I'm grateful for the emails I have received and the snail mail as
well. I want to insert a quick note- I really do enjoy every email and
every piece of mail I get. Missionaries get a little scatter brained
so if I don't mention you or say thank you for something... don't feel
bad. I really do enjoy everything I receive, and I'm grateful for
every bit of it! So, with that, I won't be sending a super long email
this week. But I'm sending some pictures through. I'm sending only 2
per email, because I'm not sure if the myldsmail server can handle any
more than that. This week has been a great week of continued learning
and growing, I feel closer to my companion than I did last week. I try
to see things from his shoes, and that helps me like him more. I am
really loving being here in Brantford. I've found out I'm related to
some people, but I'll have to write about that a different time. I
don't know the people at all, but its still neat. But I really feel
I'm here for a good reason, even if its just to feel to coolness of
being close to family roots. The Gospel is true, this church has its
fulness. Its not a cult run by a bunch of old judgemental white dudes.
There are the judgemental people, or the people who are super closed
minded. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about LOVE. I love each and
every one of you. I'm praying for you daily. Look to God and live...
Elder Brett Simper
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