Holaaaa!

Hola todos!

This week was transfers and my companion finished her mission!:0 we became super great friends and had such a great time together! My new companion is Hermana Green from Colorado who has a little over a year in the mission:) 

This week I wanted to share some cool milagros that we saw!:)

Sergio! He was a cool contact that we made and we found him again this week and he is so cool! We shared the book of Mormon and he seemed really interested and it was super cool!

Elsa! She is a reference we received from temple square:) she talked to missionary online through chat and it was so cool and she seems very prepared, and it turns out we have talked to her dad before who is a gardener and so now was happy when he heard we would come over! The only thing is that we don't know if she wants Spanish or English and actually went to church on the English ward but we are still hopeful she wants spanish.... haha but really I just think it is so cool how people are being prepared for the gospel!

La familia Flores! We happened to contact a menos activo on the street and it was so cool! He talked about how he would like to come to an activity and we stopped by and they have a very sweet family, it was really cite we stopped by and a girl came out, and said that his dad was sleeping, and she had us look under the garage and see her dad sleeping on the couch, we thought it was just so funny and sweet! Jaja:)

We also met a sweet family who had talked to missionaries in the past but said they couldn't go to church but we still see so mich potential in them as the husband said he reads in the book of Mormon every day! And they have a 3 yr. Old who remember how to pray and it was adorable!

Other fun things that happened this week:D

We had a stake musical program Sunday and it was the best thing of my life, there is literally nothing better than little kids singing in spanish!

I found a cockroach on my toothbrush, and really am continually learning how to trust in God.

Thank you all for your love and prayers, I love you all sooo much! Especially for the prayers for Puerto Rico<3

Yvette y Nicole:) Yvette is a recent convert in Cabo Rojo, we saw un monton de milagros with her, and while teaching her I truly saw the hand of the Lord, as i was a new missionary, and she helped me to know what my purpose as a missionary is. I love her dearly, her daughter Nicole is also so special and I know that they are so loved and will be extra prayed for this week:)

I love you all so much!!

Con mucho Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

 the ward fave her,Ana Hirschi a snoopy toy!  

 you know your close to your comp when they suggest slurpees!

 the cutest Spanish kids on the world!

yummmyyyyyyy sweets at the ward Christmas party! Just saying Kati is know how to do it right, they had a dj and we just have the  best members ever!

 sweet gifts we got from a cute member:)

 Allison! And her sister Victoria! Allison was supposed to baptized last week but then she didn't need up really wanting too, we came and taught her and on Sunday she surprised her dad and told him that she was getting baptized on his birthday on Wednesday:)

My new comp. Hermana Green :D

Illumina el mundo!

Hola todos!

Espero que todos estan bien!:D

This week was great but right now I honestly cannot remember much of what happened... so just a few random stories!

We went to dinner with a really cute family this week, and their oldest daughter is getting baptized this week and she told us all about it! The theme is unicorns and she had a whole lost of different sweets she requested! Haha I feel like I did my baptism all wrong after I heard about hers! Haha she is so so adorable!

I also had a fun adventure this week when a bird decoded to poop on me... Haha it was the funniest thing of my life:D

We are getting Facebook this week ahhh so that will be exciting!:)

It is also the season of light the world and it is so fun to be a part of it as a missionary!!:D  

One of the sweetest things was what happened on day 2 "I was thirsty and ye gave me drink" I received a text from the mission presidents wife that said they/unisef is donating packages of water on behalf of all of us missionaries here and sending them to Puerto Rico<3 It really touched my heart and even more was hearing about just how many things are going on to LIGHT Puerto Rico! It truly is the most endearing thing in the entire world, as i know with all my heart that as we serve, we will come closer to Christ and I know that not one effort is wasted, not even one prayer Thank you for all who have helped and shown their love!

Our little Puerto Rico prayer this week is for a sweet investigator I had in Cabo Rojo, Her name is 

Jessica:) Jessica lives in a very humble house close to the ocean, she has a huge desire to change her life and loved when we came! A sweet experience I had while teaching her was when I gained my testimony of fasting. We had been teaching her for a few weeks but over this time we didn't seem much progression and we didn't know how to help her or if she had a desire, we decided to fast, and prayed to know if we should continue to teach her, we needed our fast right before our lesson with her, and the second we walked in we felt and saw a beautiful difference, she had kept her commitment and continually thanked us for coming as she shared how much she wanted to change. As she said tis she was holding her book of Mormon and pamphlets, and it was pouring rain outside behind her, Her dog kept trying to bite out feet and with all the distractions I looked and her and felt an overwhelming love for her, I for the first time looked in her eyes and was almost brought to tears, I knew this was an answer and I knew that we should not give up and build our faith because heavenl y father sees much more. I came to love her dearly:)

I love you all so much!! And most I portantly dios le ama!

Con mucho Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

 Bowling activity today

 baby turtle :D

Mini Pinata for my Sis. Laura's 16th b-day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hola todos!

I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving! I truly had such a fun time spending it here on the mission! We went to watch a soccer game between 2 wards in the stake, as well as a turkey bowl with the ysa  it was all really fun! then we went to a sweet members house and she fed 6 missionaries! It was sooo good and super fun, we all were outside and squished some tables together and had pozole, it was so amazing! And real short funny story, my chair was right against the wall and I looked behind me for a second and there was a huge black spider, And then we said the prayer and it was gone... haha I was sure I was going to get eaten! But really it was a completely different thanksgiving and will forever be one of my favorites<3

Also a few more cool things!

Last week we had a big relief society activity and it was so fun! Because I'm in an all Spanish stake all the wards put together a dance, and many were traditional ones from Mexico it was super cute!

We had zone conference last week and talked about light the world as well as more technology we will be getting, it was really great and we learned how really everything we have been given, and the purpose of many social media tools is to further God's work, and it was really cool to learn how we can use many devices to truly further the work:) also I got to see 2 of my boricuas so of course that was a huge tender mercy<3

I also went on intercambios with sister buer this week and it was s oo fun! She came to my area and we saw so many miracles! We were able to teach about the restoration in many contacts and I love testifying of the truthfulness of this beautiful message<3 also we were in a lesson with one of our investigators Guillermo, and he bought us ice cream when an ice cream truck passed by! Wow such a tender mercy! Haha it was super hilarious:D  I really love east LA:)

Okay now my favorite part, talking and asking us all to pray for someone special in Puerto rico:) thank you all so much for keeping Rosa and aarnoldo in your prayers:) this week

Marisol y brandon: marisol was our investigator in caguas, and Brandon is her son who is about 24. About a year ago he was assaulted and has breathing tubes and had been released from the hospital about 2 months ago. They are very humble and pray that they are okay. Marisol is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and has gained a love for the book of Mormon, she said that when she reads it she just feels good and that it all just makes sense, I love this family sooooo much<3 please keep them in your prayers<3

I love and am so grateful for you all and hope you all have an amazing week:) I know that this gospel is true:)

Con muchisimas Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

3) la Puerto Ricans:)

  la Puerto Ricans:)

  today eating pizza from the trunk of the car:0

 on thanksgiving

 a hike we took a few weeks ago:)

 east laaaaaaaaa

 hermana buer and our ice cream from Guillermo

me comp and hermana Bernardino who made us the is giving dinner:)

Feliz dia de Gracias!

Hola Hola hola mis amores!

Feliz dia de gracias! This last week and a half have been great we were able to find this cool guy named Guillermo as well as truly see one investigator understand our message and how it is different and special! But since it is thanksgiving I think I would like to really focus this email on things I have learned and am grateful for! 

First I am grateful for all of the NEW THINGS I have been able to experience o my mission! Near the beginning of my mission I started a journal called brand new things, This journal was filled with many things like never have I ever seen that, been called that....., done that, had that happen to me And so on! and it made for some amazing hilarious memories! Anyways so here are a few

Brand new Things!:

-having 64 mosquito bites on my legs!

-been kissed by 3 strange men (on the cheek)

-been told I need to get a Puerto Rican boyfriend! 

-given a bag of fish

-had 2 men compose a song about me and my companion and then blessed us by putting our hands on their faces:0 

-walked 2 and a half hours on the side of a freeway:0 haha one of my favorite adventures:)

-going to the bathroom in a kinda scary fisherman shack:)

And many more, but for every one of these I am so very grateful because they all  brought smiles to my face!

And of course the big brand new thing: surviving 2 category 5 hurricanes:0 

On my mission I truly have had some of the most amazing memories, but I believe the things I will cherish the most are the people I met and things I have learned. I could write a list much longer with miracles seen, and things learned. But I will try to some things up in just a few:)

First on monday it was two months since hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico

I am grateful that i was able to be a missionary in Puerto Rico when the hurricane came I just cannot express how many times we saw the hand of the Lord:) the hurricanes have brought me incredibly close to Christ and for that I am very grateful but don't get me wrong I still won't be naming any of my kids Mari a or Irma;) haha

I am grateful for the many incredible people I have met who have completely changed my perspective on many things, I have felt God's love so so much for the people I have served. I am grateful for the opportunity to look in people's eyes and feel God's perfect lobe for them, it is something I will testify of for the rest of my life. The people I have met have taught me what it means to cherish the gospel:) I do love this gospel.

I am also grateful for the opportunity of the mission to learn and grow my faith. I have truly had to come to rely on my savior, and I have felt his peace and come to learn that I am here as his instrument, and that he will NEVER leave us especially though our trials, but everything in our life is to help us. I love the video called the will of God. In it it talks about a fern bush and a gardener who cuts down the Bush. It tells of how it looked as if it was saying how could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful progress? The gardener then says I am the garedner here and I know what I want you to be. I don't just want you to be a fern bush but to grow into a something much more beautiful. I know that with every challenge in our lives, it is only to help us grow and I know the same goes to everything that has happened and I can trust in that and him

I am very very very very grateful for you all, for Puerto Rico, and for my loving heavenly father who has never, and will never leave.

Since it is almost pday I would ask that we all continue to pray for Rosa and aarnoldo!  I will share one more story about them real quick because I just love them so much! They have very little but one day we went over and had an FHE with them and an investigator that lived down the street named jessica:) the light of Christ shines through them as they bore their testimonies and you know as soon as you see them the love they have for our heavenly father,and the book of Mormon and others. They then made us tons of hot dogs wrapped in cheese and then fried, honestly one of the kindest acts and I believe one of my favorite meals because I knew what it meant, as they were very humble:)

I love you all so much!! And I hope you all have an amazing thanksgiving!<3

Con mucho Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

1) 9 MESES last week!

2) a hike we took to a waterfall last week!

3-4) ¡area we call spanishland and y me and my cute comp!

Halfwayyyy ahhhhh!

Hola todos!

This was a great week and we were able to meet some wonderful people and learned a lot! And so here are a few stories:)

First one big miracle was finding a sweet family this week! The husband and daughter were contacted a week ago, and when we came back the 2 little girls were so excited to see us! They went and called their mom and said "mom these girls are here to talk about god!" Haha it was so cute and very accurate:D this sweet mom came to door and was very receptive to us, she recently lost some famiky members and as we talked she was brought to tears as we shared the plan of salvation, the spirit was very strong and I am grateful that peace is always possible to be found.

We also had a sweet lesson with our investigator Guadalupe, she has been taught a lot by missionaries in the past few years, and we had a lesson about the holy ghost, as we taught she paused for a second and asked us if we have ever felt the spirit, I sat there and was so happy to be able to testify that I have, and a few stories, but really in missionary work one of the most beautiful parts is how close you can come to the spirit. I love missionary work<3

Some other exciting things that happened this week was that we had our ward thanksgiving dinner Latin style, and we had transfers! Me and hermana Hirschi are staying together I  our area for her last transfer, and this is just a 5 week transfer:0 We are so happy to stay together and seen many more miracles!

This week I also hit 9 meses:0 ahhhhh I am officially halfway and am incredibly grateful for every person I have met and how my testimony has grown. I really have seen the Lord's hand in this work, and most of all have felt his love for me and every person I meet, there is no greater joy than sitting in a home and feeling the love of the savior for the people you teach.  

There is one particular home that I felt this every time, and left with a greater understanding of God's love, and a love for the gospel. This was in the humble home of Rosa and aarnoldo. 

Last week I talked about how I would write a name every week of someone from Puerto Rico who we can all pray for, because I know that maybe saying many names it would be hard, but I hope that I will be able to adquatedly express how special and incredible they all truly are! I have shed many tears for them but I just know that with every small prayer, they will be watched over. This week 

Rosa y aarnoldo, they are the kindest, sweetest, most humble people i met in my second area in Cabo Rojo 2. They live close to the ocean, and aren't able to go to church because Rosa is paralyzed from the waist down and then on her right arm, we visited them often and every time they were just happy to hear us sing a hymn and always testified how much they know God is there for them! I just really can't express how special they are! They have the biggest hearts and I pray they are being watched over and protected everyday, please keep them in your prayers:)

I love you all so much and appreciate your support so much<3

Con mucho Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

Hola mis querios!

Hola, hola!

I hope yall had a great week:D and not too cold! I did not know California got cold but I don't think my wardrobe is quite ready for it! Haha todo bien:D

This week I learned that I should never be a primary teacher! Haha jk:) this week we went to a baptism for one of the elders in another ward because my companion played the piano! I sat by the kids whose dad was being baptized, they were so cute, funny and I ended up kinda watching them as their parents were busy, so we had some fun and I made origami frogs ( a zimmerman tradition) thinking that is a brilliant idea to entertain them, and turns out I really just made us all irreverent as they made me laugh! Haha but atlesst I made some friends and even have a sleepover scheduled for August 2018:D but really the baptism was soo wonderful!

One of the biggest tender mercies happened on a mini intercambio i went on this week, we did a blitz in our area and we all worked to find! We knocked on one door and met 2 Puerto Ricans!! I was superrrr feliz and we left with a few Jehovah witness pamphlets and it really just made me so so so happy! I adore my Puerto Ricans<3

Yesterday while I was praying I had an idea come to me, every week I ask you all to pray for Puerto Rico and sometimes specific people and i cant thank you enougn for those prayers. I was thinking of many people in specific and realized if I just put down many names, it may be hard to remember, but what if I just write down one name and a little of their story and how they touched my mission and heart and in the week maybe we can all pray for them specifically by name and need:) I love the scripture in 

2 Nefi 26:15 "...yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten." Also mosiah 27:14, 3 Nefi 18:20)  Specifically how the prayers will be heard, and they will not be forgotten.  We/I may not be able to do much, but I know the power of prayer. 

So every week I will write down one name from contacts, investigators, members, and wards and please keep them in your sweet prayers:)

Claudia: she actually found me and hermana rich monday before the storm, she lived 2 houses down from us and asked us if we are from that church that is across the street, she said she would love to come! She expressed how she wants to find a place and bore her sincere desire to come and learn, she was so excited when we told her we could walk to church with her! She was only a co tact but I felt her kind heart, please keep her in your prayers and pray she will be able to find peace in the gospel and comfort in the church:)   as i lool back at this experience i remember the excitement we felt and now recognize how amazing it is that she knows where the church is and that she is very welcomed<3

I love you all so so much, and am so grateful for the love and support you have all shown me, you are all the world's greatest! Truly<3

Con mucho mucho Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

1) me and hermana arriagada on splits

2)sunsets are the best:)

20 anos....Yikes!

Hola todos!

Yesterday we had interviews so our p-day is now today!

This week went well! We are trying to find more investigators especially Spanish speakers! Haha the language barrier is so real between many in my area, and update on learning our church name in Mandarin, it's close! Haha I'm still practicing, for now I just kinda smile and give them a card!

Anyways but we did see a miracle this week! First it was my birthday on Saturday, and I turned 20! Ahh people always tell me i look between 10-16 so im just not sure how people are gonna handle this... haha i love it, i love poeple and i feel at home in puerto rico whem they tell me that too! But it was a great day, on the morning the other sisters who are the Spanish ysa  sisters came over for exercise and we went to a park! Then they sprayed me with a lot of silly string! Haha they also were so sweet and decorated our apartment while we were gone! I had lots of donuts, pizza and blew out candles from a watermelon, it was wonderful! Haha but to what matters most, the miracle we saw this week that was on my bday, so ofcourse a birthday miracle! As I said before we have been trying to find this week, and last week we got a reference from the Chinese sisters, so we went and visited her on Saturday and was in an area neither of us had ever been, she has the cutest kids and while we were taking she already started reading the pamphlet we gave her, she said that we could come back and even went through her schedule to make sure she would be there when we came, she is super sweer and awesome and just made my day!

Overall things are going good here! I am continually surprised with how much i can eat, and how many spider webs i can run into! Haha we call them spider hugs:)  but things are good, the people are great and God is amazing!  

Something I was reminded of this week was the love our heavenly father and Jesus Christ has for us, we love him because he loved us first, so love your neighbor, your family, and the stranger on the street:) 

I love you all! And please keep Puerto rico in your prayers<3

Con mucho Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)