I finally have enough time to send more of an update!
First off, I apologize if this is the first update you are getting. I didn't realize that my contacts had two different lists and only sent my update to not all of my contacts. But hopefully this will work!
Can you believe it is now 2015? Wow! Time certainly flies. So far, this year has been great! We had our Preparation day on New Years, since it was a holiday, instead of last Monday. We went to the mission home early that morning and did Zumba with the mission presidents wife, Sister Forbes, which was a lot of fun! It was a sisters p-day so all the sisters in our zone went. They served us lunch and Sister Forbes read us stories as we sat around her on the ground like little kids. We played Apples to Apples, which President Forbes joined in on half way through the game. He had never played, yet he whooped us! I think the one that made us laugh the most is when the word was feminine and someone (me) placed a Justin Bieber card. Haha it wasn't very nice, but it was super funny. And I won the green card from it! It was awesome to spend time at the mission home. It was really relaxing, since we all got to wear our pjs! I am pretty sure President Forbes is the best mission president ever. I feel bad for everyone who doesn't have him. ;)
Sister Anderson (my companion and I) have been able to get into contact with a lot of less active members and former investigators whom I have never met, which is great! We got quite a few appointments set up, and even more people telling us to call them later this week to set up a time. I am really excited to get to know them and teach them and bring them closer to the Lord! We went to a less active members house who, before my time, the missionaries would go to his house a lot but he would never be home. Well, we tried to visit him again, and he was there! We were able to talk with him at the door (there wasn't anyone else there, so we couldn't go in) and get to know him a little bit. He said he was watching football (since it was Sunday it was NFL) and asked who I rooted for. I said Green Bay then we asked my companion, who said Boise State or BYU. Bill and I started laughing and Sister Anderson had no idea why we were laughing until I explained it to her after we left. That was the hardest we laughed in a while!
We don't have very many investifators right now, but that is okay because we are working hard and doing what we need to. We focus on the North America Central initiative, which is called the "rescue mission." It focuses on mainly people who have gone inactive, part member families, and children of record. We are doing really well with that! Our most progressing investigator right now is still Terry. However, we have not been able to see him for the past two weeks, due to illness. He has been really sick. His wife, who is a member, wants him to get a blessing, but he is the type of person who doesn't like to ask for help. He is so stuborn but really awesome! He knows the church is true and recognizes how it blesses him and his family. Now he just needs to stop smoking, which he says he will. He is going to get baptized. :)
It finally snowed on New Years eve! Not much snow, just a little. A bit late, though! It will hopefully snow soon. It has been pretty cold lately. Wednesday is suppose to get to -50 with the wind chill. I haven't gotten too cold though. A few days ago, I was outside in a short sleeve shirt when it was -10. I wasn't cold at all. But I blame that on my sickness. I was sick for about 2 weeks. I had a really high fever. It was hard because we still had to go out and work! No time for rest, but it all worked out because it went away after I got a Priesthood blessing. However, I have been getting a lot more headaches lately. Just about daily, which cause of to go in about half an hour earlier than we should. They aren't migraines, but they are my regular headache I sometimes get. These are sharp pains, usually above my eyebrows and then in the back of my head. I also get these sharp pains in random parts of my body, like my feet, chest, and side. Like I said, they aren't migraines, but my body feels as though it is. I get really bad fatigue and I get nauseous, so it is hard to walk and I feel like I am going to throw up. Like I do when I get migraines, but the migraine isn't there. It's just a headache. I am kind of concerned about that, but hopefully it will go away soon! On top of that, I have been having a lot of growing pains. Yeah, like I need to be any taller. Haha
The cold here is really drying! My hands have been cracking pretty bad. My companion has it worse; her hands crack until they bleed. She had a crème she used that she really liked and always raved about, but ran out of it. She couldn't get more, because her grandma would buy it for her when she went to Mexico and it was really expensive. Well, the other day at Target, I saw it, and was like, "Sister Anderson, I found your expensive Mexican hand crème!" As it turns out, you can buy it just about anywhere for 98 cents. She was happy to have it and it made me laugh how she thought you could only get it from Mexico. We both bought it and it helps so much!
My companion and I have been doing a lot of service lately for members and investigators. We have been helping people move, clean up their Christmas decorations, and cook. It has been a lot of fun, especially when we cook! We helped one family make tamales. They weren't done by the time we had to leave, but we were able to come back that night and try our products. They were delicious! One investigator, Doreen, sets up a lot of Christmas decorations. She doesn't like help putting them away, because she has an exact place for everything. She had us, my companion and I as well as the two elders also serving in Prior Lake, carry down her boxes from the attic. We took two trips each, carrying multiple boxes each time. It only took us about 2 minutes, but it would have taken her hours, because she can only carry one box at a time and cannot climb the stairs that much, due to her bad knees. What was such a small act for us, was a huge act for her. She, later on, gave me a Randy Travis Christmas cd which I have been listening to nonstop! It's driving my companion nuts, though, because she hates country! She pretty much has to deal with it, because we had listened to her Josh Groban cd, and I don't like his music!
This week I have really noticed the power of prayer. Growing up, I have lost things, said a prayer, and then found them. Something along those lines happened to me this week. I have two rings I wear everyday; a CTR ring and a Calladah ring, given to me by my best friend from high school. Well, somehow I lost them. I remember putting them on. Later that day, I looked at my hands and they were gone. I cannot find them anywhere, and trust me, I've looked! Those rings have a lot of sentimental value to me, so I was really stressing about losing them. Well, I prayed. And guess what! I didn't find them. At least not yet. But I do feel like right now, those rings aren't important. It is more important to find the lost sheep and bring them to the fold and introduce them to the Shepard's voice. I know that as I give up time looking for those rings, rather look for the sheep, I will find the sheep and help those whom are lost and broken. I need to give up myself to bring salvation to others.
I love being on a mission. Prior Lake is an amazing ward. I feel so blessed to be here and able to serve the Lord. God is great.
Until next time,
Sister Emma Zimmerman
The picture is of my district! We did a regular and a funny picture, but I like this one the most! Today we got our transfer calls, and I am safe! And so is everyone in my district, which we are quite happy about. We might have a new district leader, but we won't know until a week from Thursday. We all had our guesses of who it would be. So we shall see!
