"Un FUTURO BRILIANTE"

Hola TODOS!

I am in PUERTO RICO! and i couldnt be happier:D

First about my subject line, almost exactly 1 year ago, Elder Anderson came to Puerto rico, and he talked about how Heavenly Father is preparing this island for great things,  and talked about how it has un futuro briliante! And little did we know that a hurricane would be part of that bright future. but through time we came to recognize how the hurricane came to prepare this beautiful island for all of the blessings of the gospel.  Being back in Puerto Rico has made me realize more than ever just how BRIGHT the future really is.

I am covering 3 pueblos right now:0 Yauco, Guanica, and Guyanilla! yuaco and guanica is a small, sweet, amazing branch that we are mainly over, but also cover a ward in guayanilla!  I am also training! AHHHH haha definitely has been a crazy week, but really amazing! my companion is Hermana Jenson, she is from Idaho and is the best, i absolutely love her!  haha i honestly do not know exactly what i am doing, but we have seen a lot of miracles together! and also got lost A LOT together! 

The mission is very different, and it is amazing to see how much we can apply from the missions we were in, we truly have come to see so many miracles as we talk about things we can bring here, and the work is truly amazing!  We have 54 missionaries on the island right now and our zones are still small, haha my zone makes up my district!
 anyways but on sunday we went to the yauco branch, and actually live right across from the building! it is an amazing little rama. before the hurricane there were about 42 member, and now there are about 20, many have moved but we have a vision to get it back to how it was!  We also live right next to one of the members and as sooon as they saw we were they they were so excited! it is honestly the best thing in the world, the members are so happy missionaries are returning, and when they see us, they just give us the biggest hugs and are ready help, and we are ready to serve!

my area in yauco wasn't horribly hit by the hurricane, except in the camp parts, but many of the members got power about a month ago, and are doing well, though they tell about how hard it was.  We are excited to visit the other parts of our area, we dont have a gps haha so we have just tried to use a little map but really it is just a big adventure!

haha some things i have already learned is that if no one  has lived in an apartment for 5 months, you are going to find some unwelcome creatures, and how every puerto rico just makes me smile!

some quick miralces we have seen!

first on tuesday out flight was canceled so i was able to return to my first area in california for the day and it was incredible!! i was able to teach a sweet family i taught and we just saw a lot of miracles, and it ended up being a huge tender mercy!

on friday we went out to find a grocery store and as we were checking out there was a sweet girl who just looked at us and said WHEN DID YOU GET BACK! it turns out she is from the guayanilla ward that we found out we are covering and was so sweet and is going to take us around the area this week!  the members here are amazing and so happy to see misionaries again.

we have two member missionaries in our ward who are 19 and amazing! they use their money to buy gas just to take us to our investigators, and are preparing to serve missions, they truly are amazing!

we also have just seen little miracles with the members, they are all incredible and i love them dearly, when we came back, our neighbors who are member took a picture of us and said the light has returned to yauco! there have been so many things this weeks that have just filled me with joy being back and i am so happy i can serve them and love them!

i hope you all have an amazing week, i lvoe you all so much<3

con mucho amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

fotos!

 Saying goodbye to Pres. and Sis. Wells 

 My new companion Hermana Jenson at our new ward

 I'm back home :D 

our house and view of yauco<3

 Hermana Jenson and me trying to catch a lizard - Success :D

Pit stop pizza on our way to our areas!

we all had a car and just tried to keep up with each other, haha such an adventure!

The craziest, happiest, greatest CALL!:D

Hola todos! 

This week I found out I will be returning to PUERTO RICO tomorrow!! It is so crazy and exciting, tomorrow it will be exactly 5 meses since hurricane maria:) i have grown a huge LOVE for california, I LOVE what i have learned, and LOVE who i have met, i honestly can't imagine not having this time be a part of my mission.

okay, first i know it is so late to write! i am so sorry if i do not answer your email, today we have had a lot to do, so with the time i do have i just want to share my testimony and things i have learned here in california:)  so far my mission has consisted of many NEVER HAVE I EVERS. haha like never have i ever been through a hurricane or slept on my mission presidents floor, or never have i ever eaten that, or been called that and so forth! haha i actually don't really know where this is going, but i guess as i look at everything that has happened, serving in 2 missions and everything, i can't imagine not having those never have i ever moments, becuase no matter how hard or sad they sometimes are, because when i left puerto rico, it truly was one the hardest things i have ever done, but i can't image it not having happened, because i have also NEVER felt so much love from everyone I met, and never felt so much love from my Heavenly Father, and especially growing an even stronger love for the gospel i teach that I KNOW IS TRUE WITH ALL MY HEART. okay quick story:

a few weeks after i arrived it was still just really hard, and i was it a rut.  I remember praying one night, just thinking about all that had happenedd, and wondering why it all happened. it wasn't a long prayer, i honestly don't know it i even said that much, but as I sat there i suddenly felt everything i was feeling lifted away, and i felt peace!  I remember feeling like my answer was to trust in god. and i felt a quiet assurance that it would all be okay, and i was:) I know that this gospel is true, and i know that heavenly father loves his children, guides his children and knows what is best for his children!

I love California, and i love PUerto Rico, and I love you all for being you!!!  and thank you for all the prayers sent to puerto rico<3

con muchisimas amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

Transladossss!:0

Hola todos! 

We had such a wonderful week this week!

First with our sweet investigator fatima! She left to el Salvador this Saturday but we saw so many miracles with her! first on Wednesday we had a fast with her to help her find her answer and she and her aunt and uncle fasted with us and when we came to her house that night she literally was just glowing! She was so happy! And loved the fast, she said the whole day she loved how close she felt to God<3 we know she received her answer and i know she will be baptized one day and I am 100% going to visit her one day in El Salvador<3 but we went all of her information and we will keep in close contact as we have become great friends!:D

Alsoooo we had transfers and I am being transferred to a new area called orangewood!  I was definitely a little sad to leave my area ward and east LA but something I have learned on my mission is to trust God, because he knows me better!

Some things I have learned is how much i am in love with street tacos and how the FEAR NO MAN phrase (somethin a lot of missionaries say so we talk to everyone!) Has exceptions... haha I have a list called fear no man UNLESS haha like fear no man UNLESS They tell you they spent 20 years in prison and say they are 23 and joke about you being their first wife... haha east la is the BEST. Jaja

Haha but really I am so grateful that I was able to serve here, I came here after being evacuated and I have learned so much since then, I feel as if my purpose as a missionary had fully gone I to my heart and words cannot express the love I have for this gospel and my savior! 

I love you all sooo much and muchas gracias for all of your prayers for Puerto Rico! This week we can all pray for

Richard! He was someone we found right before the hurricane was a reference we gave and he loved the book of Mormon! It was such a cool contact and a huge miracle find! We had contacted a while and then were led to a specific area and found him as he was planting a tree! Haha it really was so cool and though i dont know him that well i know that heaven,y father looves all of his children individually and how cool that we can all pray for people we may not even know super well, but I know that all of the prayers are helping these people!

I love you all so much!!!

Con mucho Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

Muchas fotos Este semana:D

The retanas<3

Fatima! She's seriously the coolest<3

A sweet family in our ward!

Closest thing to a cow i can see in LA!

We found a huge mirror on the side of the road! Haha

Buenas!

Hola todos!

First of all random we moved today! We are now living with two other sister and are super close to the church! It wphas been exciting moving all of us:D haha!
I hope you all had a great week! We saw many miracles this week!
First with Fatima! She is our investigator who was only visiting her tios from el Salvador, and she was supposed to leave last week but on monday we fiund out she is now staying for 2 more weeks! She now has a baptism date for this Friday and she is so amazing and really searching for an answer:) her dad also came last week and he also came to church! And we had a stake conference that was broadcasted to many stakes and heard from elder christofferson via video! And they loved it and we just love them<3
This week I learned so much from our investigator Guadalupe!
She is so sweet and we have been teaching her little by little starting with the plan of salvation, and this week we taught the restoration and her husband was there! He actually visited the church in Honduras and as we taug t the restoration it was amazing to see how much they just took in and suddenly we just saw her completely change as she asked so many questions and my heart was really so full during this lesson, I love the restoration!!
We also came once to Guadalupe this week and she called her sister who wanted to learn more about us and so we taught the restoration OVER the phone! It was one of  my favorite moments all week to be able to have a lesson with someone in Mexicoover the phone, but still sharing the same message that i k ow is true and that i know will bless so many lives and i know that missio aries will soon knock on her door to teach her more!
This week I also learned that when you have a dinner with two kids they ask you really funny questions that make you and your compañion laugh so hard! Here are just a few of the good ones:
Why are you white?
Do your parents know you speak spanish and english?
Is everything you see in blue?
Why do you have 5 colores in your hair¿
And a million more! Haha
Overall I really am learning so mich and grateful for the opportunity to teach, it is something that brings an immense amount of joy<3
Thank you all for your prayers for Puerto Rico and the individual prayers every week for someone alli! Last week we went to a house and had an FHE with a family, we asked every one of their kids what is one thing they can pray for, and one boy said for the people who don't have houses, of course I thought  of my dear Puerto Rico! I know I don't know many of those who lost houses but I feel like I do! And so I thought this week we could specifically pray for those who don't have houses along with this little boy<3
I love you all so much, I love my mission, and I love the happiness that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ, love you!
Con mucho Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)<3

 

This week with we found out we could have nutella because the no sugar challenge is actually just a no sweets challenge and nutella is approved so we got crepes!

Hola!!!!

Hola todos queridos! 

This was an a great week! And one of the most AMAZING things happened!

16 more missionaries are returning to Puerto Rico! And half are Hermanas!! I was so so happy! One of them is hermana ruff and we were in the ccm together and we are serving in the same mission, and of course it was hard hearing not going with her this time but I am so happy that more are going back and we got to see eachother today and it was the best<3 but I would love to share some milagros we saw this week and how my testimo y has grown! And please pray for Puerto rico<3

Intercambios with hermana ruff!

We went on untercambios this week and it was sooooo fun! We looked at pictures and talked about all things boricua all day and it was so fun and we saw so many milagros!!<3

Learning how to follow the spirit

One day this week out two appoi tents for the morning fell through and we were thinking of other things to do, and we were going to maybe go start our planeamiento semenal early but felt like we needed to stay and find, and we thought of a less active that lived near by,  she had been on vacation and we hadn't been able to find her for over a month but decided to give it a shot. We knocked a few times and no one answered, and then suddenly we heard someone at the door! She opened the door and let us in, and told us how that morning she had prayed for the first time in a while to ask if heavenly father was there, she had been through a lot and that morning it all just hit her, and as she sat in science listening for an answer we knocked on the door:) I know that heavenly father loves every one of us, and this experience really taught me how there are always people we can help<3 it truly was the best and I love her DEARLY!

This week we also saw another MILAGRO with the Gil family! It was amazing!

Again some plans fell through and so we decided to stop by there house to give them a book of Mormon in enough that Norma wanted, but we didn't have one with us so we decided to look in the church and the zone leaders were there! MILAGRO number 1 because they had just gotten supplies, then we decided to stop by however usually they both aren't there this night, but we went anyways and she said how she happened to go in early to work and so we were able to have an awesome lesson! MILAGRO number 2! 

Overall we really learned how the spirit will always guide us and when plans fall through its only a time where we can look for those oportnunies! MILAGROS!

Okay I am out of time but I will have some other things to share next week but for now I would just like to end with my testimony, how grateful I am to be a missionary and how much I love growing even though times may be rough we can always see how we have been blessed, and I have been very blessed.mi love Puerto Rico with all my heart and this week I ask that we pray for

Carmen, Carmen is a sweet lady that we met who I came to love DEARLY! We ponlky taught her a few times and she maybe couldn't really understand my Spanish but she is a daughter of God who will be extra watched out for this week<3 love you all!!

Con mucho Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

Me and hermana ruff on splits and then us today, haha very tearful but all is well

Milagros! (And gansters)

Hola todos!
This was an amazing week and we saw many miracles:D i honestly cannot even express how crazy its been and we can see the lords hand sooo abundantly:D here are some stories!
Some crazy miracles that make it so we feel like we are never in our area!:0
Fatima:)
She is the niece of a family in our ward and is here from el Salvador! She is s oo cool and our age which makes it really fun! This week we taught her a few times and it's all so new for her but she is so awesome! Sooo the only thing is that she leaves in 8 days:0 but we are gonna teach her a lot this week again and hope connect her with misiomeras en her home:) also... she lives outside of our area and our ward boundary, so we get to go on a fun adventure every time to a super exciting area! Haha we are gangsters:) but we are the only Hermana s over here so that's why we travel outside!
La familia de Guatemala
Haha okay so one day this week we were walking and ran I to this sweet family, so we walked and talked and then they invited us to go to lunch with them! It was the best because we ate lunch with them and shared the restoration! Her kids were so cute and she is from Guatemala and we can't wait to see them again this week,  they are the best and it was a huge MILAGRO!
La familia flores:)
Okay backstory about a month ago we were contacting and met this man on the street quick, and he said he was a member and would love us to stop by! So we had tried like 10 times which usually would be way to much but we just felt like we needed too and when we talked to him i knew it was sincere and I really felt like we needed to talk to them! Anddddd this week we found them! And we met with the hermano who really wanted to change his life!
Here are some other fun things, this week it rained for the first time hard since I have been here and I felt like I was in Puerto Rico, and since I found out my jacket wasn't rainproof i was as wet too! Haha it was the best ever. ALSO it was really funny we were at a dinner and they were saying how I say a funny word, haha it's chevere which is a word from Puerto Rico and it was just so funny! Soy Boricua cien por cien:)
Also our mission is going off sugar.... ahhh and it starts to borrow so we have been eating like crazy this week and today we made brownies and out everything we could un it, and I'm talking chocolate chips, caramel sauce, fudge, and all sorts of goodness! Haha we had a little party at the church!
Okay really I am just grateful for everything I am learning here, my testimo ny truly has grown so much and I have felt the love of the savior in a very real way, as well as grown my love for Puerto Rico even more<3
Thanks for praying for them every week, especially Salvador last week:) ustedes son Los mejores:D
Cindy- she is a recent convert in Cabo Rojo and lived right next to us, I think she has the biggest heart of ANYONE, and she is the sweetest, everylesson she made me laugh, and smile and I learned so much from her and I am so excited to specifically keep her in our prayers this week<3
Con muchisimo Amor, Hermana Zimmerman:)

Pupusas! 

Our candy stash of all 4 sisters! Ahhh 

This cute palm tree! It's like an alfalfa tree! Haha but kinda far away in the pic!!