Hello Family!
Here are some dates really quick: Next transfer date is 1/20/13, Next Preparation Day is Thursday 12/27/12 because of Christmas next week.
I heard about the tragedy in Connecticut, and I couldn't believe it. That is awful. I was thinking how hard it must be for these families who were affected by it. And I can't even imagine the pain they must feel. But I do know that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, "All that is unfair about life will be made fair" (Preach My Gospel). We always ask the question, "Why does God allow such horrible things to happen?" I don't know the wording exactly, but in the Book of Mormon there is a story about people killing children in horrible ways, and someone asks a prophet "Why does God allow such horrible things to happen?" He then says something like "God allows these things to happen so that the blood of the innocent will stand as a witness against the murderers on Judgement Day." God, our loving Heavenly Father, hates it when things like this happen. He is a God of love, and a God of peace. He is a God of Justice, and a God of Mercy. Because God is perfect and He loves us perfectly, He knows how to comfort us. Let us be His hands and comfort those who stand in need of comfort, and mourn with those that mourn, and stand as witnesses of God at all times, and in all places. I know this Gospel is true and I know it helps us with any challenge. It gives us the sure knowledge that there IS life after death.
.....
I hope each of you has a Merry Christmas! I want to share something from one of my favorite books (The Christmas Sweater). It's a prayer:
"God, thank you for everything you've given us. For the time we have together. And for the miracle of Christmas. Thank you for the Atonement, the chance to start all over again. Help us to always remember who we are and to trust that we are worthy to make it through our storms. Amen."
That describes what I feel each Christmas since the time I read that. I love this chance to remember all that God has done for me, and to know I am loved by God and by my family. With God, we can make it through anything!
I love you all so much, and I hope you have a great and memorable Christmas.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Niagara, 12/10/12
Hello Family!
Elder Welch and I did not get a transfer call last night. So, we're both here in the Falls until the middle of January!
I attached a picture so I don't get rebuked by you guys anymore! :) It's kind of a funny picture. I ended up being in the front and center of everything. Which is kind of awkward, but Nan wanted Elder Welch on one side and me on the other. Nan is the lady right next to me, then Elder Welch and the Woodruffs (ward missionaries) on the left. Then our two Spanish missionary friends who serve in the St. Davids Spanish branch are on the right.
Nan is still doing awesome and she will be baptized this Saturday in Salt Lake City. We had another investigator named Charles come to church yesterday, and that was awesome. He's someone I didn't really expect to enjoy it and fit in as much as he did. We'll see him again this week and do all that we can to help him progress. He's someone who I think has the potential to influence many people for good. He's down to earth and always cheerful.
I've been thinking about The Gospel of Jesus Christ a lot this week. The Gospel is a 5-step pattern of living for sinners. Faith, repentance, baptism (or making/renewing covenants), receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end... this is not a one time deal. It is a pattern of living. And its the path to true, lasting happiness. I'm so grateful for the Gospel in my life. I can feel the difference between actually living the Gospel pattern and just going through the motions. Going through the motions might keep you feeling secure, but you won't really progress and grow into the person you are capable of becoming. We are all worth so much. We are all capable of so much more than we often allow ourselves to believe. Become what you are meant to become! That's one of the many things living the Gospel will do.
I love you all so much, and I hope you are enjoying this special time of year! Each of you has influenced me so much, and I'm so grateful.
Laus deo.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Elder Welch and I did not get a transfer call last night. So, we're both here in the Falls until the middle of January!
I attached a picture so I don't get rebuked by you guys anymore! :) It's kind of a funny picture. I ended up being in the front and center of everything. Which is kind of awkward, but Nan wanted Elder Welch on one side and me on the other. Nan is the lady right next to me, then Elder Welch and the Woodruffs (ward missionaries) on the left. Then our two Spanish missionary friends who serve in the St. Davids Spanish branch are on the right.
Nan is still doing awesome and she will be baptized this Saturday in Salt Lake City. We had another investigator named Charles come to church yesterday, and that was awesome. He's someone I didn't really expect to enjoy it and fit in as much as he did. We'll see him again this week and do all that we can to help him progress. He's someone who I think has the potential to influence many people for good. He's down to earth and always cheerful.
I've been thinking about The Gospel of Jesus Christ a lot this week. The Gospel is a 5-step pattern of living for sinners. Faith, repentance, baptism (or making/renewing covenants), receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end... this is not a one time deal. It is a pattern of living. And its the path to true, lasting happiness. I'm so grateful for the Gospel in my life. I can feel the difference between actually living the Gospel pattern and just going through the motions. Going through the motions might keep you feeling secure, but you won't really progress and grow into the person you are capable of becoming. We are all worth so much. We are all capable of so much more than we often allow ourselves to believe. Become what you are meant to become! That's one of the many things living the Gospel will do.
I love you all so much, and I hope you are enjoying this special time of year! Each of you has influenced me so much, and I'm so grateful.
Laus deo.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Niagara, 12/3/12
Hello Family!
Real quick, y'all should check out my profile on Mormon.org: mormon.org/me/8V6K ...I was excited to finally finish mine. So, there it is!
Well, this week has been another awesome week in Niagara Falls. Nan is still well on her way to being baptized in a couple of weeks in SLC. She loves to ask questions. Which is awesome! Because we don't believe in blind faith. We believe in intelligent obedience. Like it says on mormon.org/commandments, commandments are not "arbitrary rules from a detached God" but they are "divine guidance that helps us navigate the confusion of life on earth." And one thing I love about God, our Heavenly Father, is that He LOVES questions. Just like James 1:5 says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not..." That means that God does not get mad at you for asking questions. And he is willing to give us the answers, if we sincerely ask Him. Our Heavenly Father loves to give us gifts.
The Christmas Spirit is amazing. It is a Spirit of Giving. I'm just going to throw this out there: if there is one gift any of you could give me this year, a gift that would mean more to me than almost anything else, it is this: Have the local missionaries over for a visit. Whether it is just for a chat to say hi to them, get to know them, or let them know "Hey! Somebody I know is on a mission in Toronto Canada!" Or whether you have them over for a snack, or a meal, or to share a Christmas message with you... that would make my Christmas! Of course any letters or yummy treats would, too. But more than anything else, I would love for you to have a nice visit with your local missionaries. Then you could have a little glimpse at what it is that I'll be doing this Christmas season. I promise opportunities will arise in the coming weeks. Say hi to them when you see them! And have them over. We don't bite! :)
I love you all so much. Thank you for your love, support, and your encouragement.
Love,
Elder Simper
Real quick, y'all should check out my profile on Mormon.org: mormon.org/me/8V6K ...I was excited to finally finish mine. So, there it is!
Well, this week has been another awesome week in Niagara Falls. Nan is still well on her way to being baptized in a couple of weeks in SLC. She loves to ask questions. Which is awesome! Because we don't believe in blind faith. We believe in intelligent obedience. Like it says on mormon.org/commandments, commandments are not "arbitrary rules from a detached God" but they are "divine guidance that helps us navigate the confusion of life on earth." And one thing I love about God, our Heavenly Father, is that He LOVES questions. Just like James 1:5 says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not..." That means that God does not get mad at you for asking questions. And he is willing to give us the answers, if we sincerely ask Him. Our Heavenly Father loves to give us gifts.
The Christmas Spirit is amazing. It is a Spirit of Giving. I'm just going to throw this out there: if there is one gift any of you could give me this year, a gift that would mean more to me than almost anything else, it is this: Have the local missionaries over for a visit. Whether it is just for a chat to say hi to them, get to know them, or let them know "Hey! Somebody I know is on a mission in Toronto Canada!" Or whether you have them over for a snack, or a meal, or to share a Christmas message with you... that would make my Christmas! Of course any letters or yummy treats would, too. But more than anything else, I would love for you to have a nice visit with your local missionaries. Then you could have a little glimpse at what it is that I'll be doing this Christmas season. I promise opportunities will arise in the coming weeks. Say hi to them when you see them! And have them over. We don't bite! :)
I love you all so much. Thank you for your love, support, and your encouragement.
Love,
Elder Simper
Niagara, 11/26/12
Hello Family!
From what I've read from you, it sounds like it was a great Thanksgiving! I'm glad it was. It was a good Thanksgiving for us here too. The people here are extremely nice and feed us like crazy. So, we had a couple of thanksgiving dinners this week that made us feel right at home.
I've talked about this before, but I'll share it again. I've seen how seemingly small choices can lead to huge consequences. There are so many messed up family situations that could have been avoided. One person deep in a drug addiction, or any kind of addiction, can end up destroying his or her family down the road... Now, we don't just stop here. I've seen and heard too many people, both within the Church and outside of it, who just mope about the problems of the world, as if just moping about it is going to solve it. I've been that kind of person before. But I think I've learned... moping doesn't solve anything. How do we fix the problem? I think first and foremost, everyone should know that any messed up situation or "destroyed" family can be reversed or repaired. It won't come easy. It will take work. But the beautiful thing about life, when you apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ, is that circumstances and people can be changed from something awful into something beautiful. Missionaries can tell you all day how we know this works. But the bottom line is that everyone needs to find out for themselves. So, turn back to God and ask Him. He loves questions. And He loves to help His children. He is much more willing to give, than we are to receive.
I wrote down a quote I heard yesterday at church: "Wisdom comes from good judgment. Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement." Read that and think about it... its true!
Well, I love you all so much. And I'm glad that it was a happy Thanksgiving. I hope you make it a great week!
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
From what I've read from you, it sounds like it was a great Thanksgiving! I'm glad it was. It was a good Thanksgiving for us here too. The people here are extremely nice and feed us like crazy. So, we had a couple of thanksgiving dinners this week that made us feel right at home.
I've talked about this before, but I'll share it again. I've seen how seemingly small choices can lead to huge consequences. There are so many messed up family situations that could have been avoided. One person deep in a drug addiction, or any kind of addiction, can end up destroying his or her family down the road... Now, we don't just stop here. I've seen and heard too many people, both within the Church and outside of it, who just mope about the problems of the world, as if just moping about it is going to solve it. I've been that kind of person before. But I think I've learned... moping doesn't solve anything. How do we fix the problem? I think first and foremost, everyone should know that any messed up situation or "destroyed" family can be reversed or repaired. It won't come easy. It will take work. But the beautiful thing about life, when you apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ, is that circumstances and people can be changed from something awful into something beautiful. Missionaries can tell you all day how we know this works. But the bottom line is that everyone needs to find out for themselves. So, turn back to God and ask Him. He loves questions. And He loves to help His children. He is much more willing to give, than we are to receive.
I wrote down a quote I heard yesterday at church: "Wisdom comes from good judgment. Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement." Read that and think about it... its true!
Well, I love you all so much. And I'm glad that it was a happy Thanksgiving. I hope you make it a great week!
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
Niagara, 11/19/12
Hello Family!
It has been another great week here in Niagara Falls! Nan, the miracle referral from Temple Square, is getting baptized in SLC on December 15th! She is awesome. She is someone who is truly prepared. She has a broken heart, and a contrite spirit. And she has found out that only Jesus Christ knows how to fully heal a broken heart. The Lord always has open arms, and is constantly calling for us to return to Him. He never turns His back on us. Rather, it is us who turn our backs on Him. The Lord, Jesus Christ, knows us and evaluated us before He paid the price for our sins. Much like we evaluate expensive things in a store before we decide to purchase them. Is it worth it? Jesus Christ evaluated each of us individually, and decided, "You are worth it. I love you, and I don't want anything except to see you- to see all of us- back home in the mansions of our Father!" And he suffered unimaginable pains for us, so we don't have to. Think about that. He died for us, He lives again, and He loves us. I know this is true with everything in me! Daily, I find myself bombarded by attacks from the confusion of the world. But it never changes the fact that I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It is not a set of man-made rules created to keep us in bondage. Rather, it is the way to live the abundant life! The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us how to be happy. One of my favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon is "And it came to pass, that we lived after the manner of happiness."
I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! Laus deo! Remember where your blessings come from. Remember how merciful God is to all of us. I am grateful for each of you, and for your love and your influence for good in my life and in the lives of all those around you. Remember... life is meant to be enjoyed. Beware of counterfeit happiness! Pleasure is not the same as happiness.
I love you, and I pray for you! I hope you have a great week.
Love,
Elder Simper
It has been another great week here in Niagara Falls! Nan, the miracle referral from Temple Square, is getting baptized in SLC on December 15th! She is awesome. She is someone who is truly prepared. She has a broken heart, and a contrite spirit. And she has found out that only Jesus Christ knows how to fully heal a broken heart. The Lord always has open arms, and is constantly calling for us to return to Him. He never turns His back on us. Rather, it is us who turn our backs on Him. The Lord, Jesus Christ, knows us and evaluated us before He paid the price for our sins. Much like we evaluate expensive things in a store before we decide to purchase them. Is it worth it? Jesus Christ evaluated each of us individually, and decided, "You are worth it. I love you, and I don't want anything except to see you- to see all of us- back home in the mansions of our Father!" And he suffered unimaginable pains for us, so we don't have to. Think about that. He died for us, He lives again, and He loves us. I know this is true with everything in me! Daily, I find myself bombarded by attacks from the confusion of the world. But it never changes the fact that I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It is not a set of man-made rules created to keep us in bondage. Rather, it is the way to live the abundant life! The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us how to be happy. One of my favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon is "And it came to pass, that we lived after the manner of happiness."
I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! Laus deo! Remember where your blessings come from. Remember how merciful God is to all of us. I am grateful for each of you, and for your love and your influence for good in my life and in the lives of all those around you. Remember... life is meant to be enjoyed. Beware of counterfeit happiness! Pleasure is not the same as happiness.
I love you, and I pray for you! I hope you have a great week.
Love,
Elder Simper
Niagara, 11/12/12
Hello Family!
It has been a very busy week. One of those weeks where it seems like it was just yesterday I was emailing you, yet it seems like forever ago at the same time. And SO much has happened. This area of Niagara is great. All over the people are awesome- the members of the St. Davids ward, our potential investigators, the investigators whom we're teaching... they're all great! There is so much potential here. This past week, we had some sort of service opportunity almost every day. It was very busy. And my companion, Elder Welch, is a great missionary. He is humble, honest, and extremely willing to serve people. He also likes to sing Hymns to the tune of various pop songs. We have a good time! In a nutshell, Niagara is an awesome place and I'm happy to be serving here. Oh, by the way, the ward feeds us like crazy here. I'm definitely not losing weight in this area!
The highlight of this week is a miracle investigator we met, referred to us by a senior missionary couple from Temple Square. Her name is Nan (aka Joanna), she's probably in her 70's, and she is recently widowed. She never went to any church, until shortly before her husband died. And she's been searching ever since. After her husband died, she decided to travel a bit. She made her way to Salt lake city, partially to see MoTab, and partially because the Spirit was directing her steps. She met the senior couple, and they've been holding meetings via Skype ever since! She lives in our area, but we are teaming up with the senior couple from temple square to teach her (via Skype at her house) and prepare her for baptism in December. She'll be baptized in Salt Lake, then she'll be confirmed here in the St.David's ward. The amazing thing about Nan is how fast this all happened. And she is so prepared, and is so willing to search and question things so she can gain her own testimony... and she has gained one! Its all been so fast, since we just met her yesterday, and only heard about her on Saturday! She is awesome, and Elder Welch and I are just happy to see the rest of her journey towards Baptism, and to help her as much as we can. The senior couple in Salt Lake has done an amazing job with everything. And the coordination that took place between them and the ward leaders here was amazing! Nan attended church yesterday, and she was welcomed with open arms. The St. Davids ward is so amazing at that. They're happy to meet and welcome new people, and they do it because they sincerely care! They are the real deal. So... that's been the highlight of the week, and it sure made it an awesome week! I hope you will keep Nan and us in your prayers.
For a moment, I want to zoom out of Niagara and look at the world as a whole-- since I've been on my mission, I've seen a lot of messed up families. I've seen people who have messed up lives. And each time, its been a time for me to look at my life and the choices I can make and say "Its your choice, Brett... its either this... or that." We all know, because we hear about it and we see it, that families are fading away. Too often, adults are making choices out of selfish desires rather than thinking of how it will affect their children. These major life-altering choices begin as small, seemingly harmless ideas. Every day, we choose by our thoughts, words, and actions whether we want to be happy or miserable. And eventually all these small choices can add up to some very huge consequences. I know how hard of a fight it is to constantly be choosing the right, but its a fight we're all fighting whether we want to be or not. We're all lost, we're all fallen. We all need mercy. From God, and from each other. We live in a crazy world. A world that can only be healed by the Gospel of Christ. We need to be united in love and respect. Love casts out fear, light chases away darkness.
I love you all!
-Elder Simper-
It has been a very busy week. One of those weeks where it seems like it was just yesterday I was emailing you, yet it seems like forever ago at the same time. And SO much has happened. This area of Niagara is great. All over the people are awesome- the members of the St. Davids ward, our potential investigators, the investigators whom we're teaching... they're all great! There is so much potential here. This past week, we had some sort of service opportunity almost every day. It was very busy. And my companion, Elder Welch, is a great missionary. He is humble, honest, and extremely willing to serve people. He also likes to sing Hymns to the tune of various pop songs. We have a good time! In a nutshell, Niagara is an awesome place and I'm happy to be serving here. Oh, by the way, the ward feeds us like crazy here. I'm definitely not losing weight in this area!
The highlight of this week is a miracle investigator we met, referred to us by a senior missionary couple from Temple Square. Her name is Nan (aka Joanna), she's probably in her 70's, and she is recently widowed. She never went to any church, until shortly before her husband died. And she's been searching ever since. After her husband died, she decided to travel a bit. She made her way to Salt lake city, partially to see MoTab, and partially because the Spirit was directing her steps. She met the senior couple, and they've been holding meetings via Skype ever since! She lives in our area, but we are teaming up with the senior couple from temple square to teach her (via Skype at her house) and prepare her for baptism in December. She'll be baptized in Salt Lake, then she'll be confirmed here in the St.David's ward. The amazing thing about Nan is how fast this all happened. And she is so prepared, and is so willing to search and question things so she can gain her own testimony... and she has gained one! Its all been so fast, since we just met her yesterday, and only heard about her on Saturday! She is awesome, and Elder Welch and I are just happy to see the rest of her journey towards Baptism, and to help her as much as we can. The senior couple in Salt Lake has done an amazing job with everything. And the coordination that took place between them and the ward leaders here was amazing! Nan attended church yesterday, and she was welcomed with open arms. The St. Davids ward is so amazing at that. They're happy to meet and welcome new people, and they do it because they sincerely care! They are the real deal. So... that's been the highlight of the week, and it sure made it an awesome week! I hope you will keep Nan and us in your prayers.
For a moment, I want to zoom out of Niagara and look at the world as a whole-- since I've been on my mission, I've seen a lot of messed up families. I've seen people who have messed up lives. And each time, its been a time for me to look at my life and the choices I can make and say "Its your choice, Brett... its either this... or that." We all know, because we hear about it and we see it, that families are fading away. Too often, adults are making choices out of selfish desires rather than thinking of how it will affect their children. These major life-altering choices begin as small, seemingly harmless ideas. Every day, we choose by our thoughts, words, and actions whether we want to be happy or miserable. And eventually all these small choices can add up to some very huge consequences. I know how hard of a fight it is to constantly be choosing the right, but its a fight we're all fighting whether we want to be or not. We're all lost, we're all fallen. We all need mercy. From God, and from each other. We live in a crazy world. A world that can only be healed by the Gospel of Christ. We need to be united in love and respect. Love casts out fear, light chases away darkness.
I love you all!
-Elder Simper-
Niagara, 11/5/12
Hello Family!
The next possible transfer date is December 10th... I have absolutely no idea or feeling as to whether I'll be staying here after that or leaving to go somewhere else. But for now, just keep that day in mind for mail and stuff. My address for this area is:
Elder Brett Simper
5257 Drummond Rd. #602
Niagara Falls, ON
L2E 6E8
Its a beautiful day in Niagara Falls, ON. Its 1 degree Celsius, and there's some snow falling outside! But its not sticking, and its nothing too heavy yet. But, I thought you'd like to know. The news about Hurricane Sandy last week sure made transfers really stressful, but by the time we all had to be on the road on Tuesday morning it had gone past us. I hear there is lots of damage on the east coast of the U.S. though. That's gotta be rough. The people here have been keeping them in their prayers, in just about every prayer I've heard since being here. That's one of the things I love most about Faith in God. There's something about Faith that tells us that everything will be okay. That, no matter what the trouble is at the moment, all things will work out for your good. We know that if we are doing good for others, and if we're personally being good, then the promise is true: all things will work out for your good. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said something in his most recent conference talk that I find powerful: "To all within the sound of my voice, the voice of Christ comes ringing down through the halls of time, asking each one of us while there is time, “Do you love me?” And for every one of us, I answer with my honor and my soul, “Yea, Lord, we do love thee.” And having set our “hand to the plough,” we will never look back until this work is finished and love of God and neighbor rules the world." That is the whole purpose of the Gospel. To help people love their neighbor. We can develop love for our neighbor as come to realize our true relationship with God- that He is our Father, He loves us, and every other human is our brother or sister. It is hard, but it is not impossible.
I love you all! Stay positive, and choose to be happy. Everything in life really is what we choose to make it.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
The next possible transfer date is December 10th... I have absolutely no idea or feeling as to whether I'll be staying here after that or leaving to go somewhere else. But for now, just keep that day in mind for mail and stuff. My address for this area is:
Elder Brett Simper
5257 Drummond Rd. #602
Niagara Falls, ON
L2E 6E8
Its a beautiful day in Niagara Falls, ON. Its 1 degree Celsius, and there's some snow falling outside! But its not sticking, and its nothing too heavy yet. But, I thought you'd like to know. The news about Hurricane Sandy last week sure made transfers really stressful, but by the time we all had to be on the road on Tuesday morning it had gone past us. I hear there is lots of damage on the east coast of the U.S. though. That's gotta be rough. The people here have been keeping them in their prayers, in just about every prayer I've heard since being here. That's one of the things I love most about Faith in God. There's something about Faith that tells us that everything will be okay. That, no matter what the trouble is at the moment, all things will work out for your good. We know that if we are doing good for others, and if we're personally being good, then the promise is true: all things will work out for your good. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said something in his most recent conference talk that I find powerful: "To all within the sound of my voice, the voice of Christ comes ringing down through the halls of time, asking each one of us while there is time, “Do you love me?” And for every one of us, I answer with my honor and my soul, “Yea, Lord, we do love thee.” And having set our “hand to the plough,” we will never look back until this work is finished and love of God and neighbor rules the world." That is the whole purpose of the Gospel. To help people love their neighbor. We can develop love for our neighbor as come to realize our true relationship with God- that He is our Father, He loves us, and every other human is our brother or sister. It is hard, but it is not impossible.
I love you all! Stay positive, and choose to be happy. Everything in life really is what we choose to make it.
Love,
Elder Brett Simper
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