Brantford, Week 9

July 16, 2012

Hello Family!

The people of Brantford are great. There is one element to the work here that I did not expect... the church is very young and "immature" here in Ontario. Wards are fairly small, there are many smaller branches (I believe), and in general the church is very immature. I guess young would not be the right word, and I don't mean immature in a negative way. But its a funny attitude you get here. Communities in Southern California have a lot of respect for the church, and here the church has not branched out and reached out as much, so there are not many relationships or ties with the city, at least here in Brantford. We are hoping to change that. We hope the ward will do some service for the city of Brantford soon. Whether its picking up litter along the roads, repairing and fixing up parks or other public facilities, or whatever else could be of benefit. Jesus Christ lived an entire life in the service of others. From the day-to-day "going about doing good," to His infinite and eternal sacrifice for each of us. Everything He did, was for others.

That's a lesson I would do good to learn from, I know that for sure! Its one we can all learn from. I know that when I do things for MY own benefit, it is never truly fulfilling. But when I do things with other people in mind, the joy I feel lasts much longer and is truly fulfilling.

Reema, who was baptized about one month ago, is doing really well. We had some people who doubted her sincerity, but if you just heard her prayers and were able to look her in the eyes, she is one of the most sincere people you'll ever meet. Her good friend, who brought her to church was Lydia. I talked about Lydia several weeks ago. Her favorite thing to say is "God is great, all the time!" And you can definitely see that attitude in Reema. She is so grateful for the goodness that God has shown her. She is so grateful to be a part of the big extended family of the Brantford Ward.

Well... again, I want to focus in more on personal emails.

You are all in my prayers. I love you all so much. Look to God, and live.

Love,
Elder Brett Simper