Happy Happy Happy

So, I'm in Arleta! And I am SO happy. My companion is just a dream. Her name is Shannon Earnshaw, she is from Utah, she is 20 years old and very mature. She has done hard things, which isn't like her defining quality as a person, but just something that I've noticed tends to be a key indicator (ughhhh mission) in how easy it is for me to be around someone 24/7. We laugh a lot. I love her; I'm grateful for her. We better be together for 2 transfers because we've already got our Christlike Attributes that we want to study together planned out for the next 10 weeks. (Kind of reminds me of when Cebre and I started that blog haha. It's really fun.)

WARNING: THIS ENTIRE EMAIL IS ABOUT ONE SINGULAR LESSON WE TAUGHT THIS WEEK, AND IT IS VERY "MISSIONARY."

So far, my highlight of the transfer is that I finally learned what the Plan of Salvation is. Until this past week, I had always taught the Plan of Salvation like a schedule. We lived with God, with were born, we die, Mundo de los Espiritus, etc etc.

So one morning Hna Earnshaw and I both decided we wanted to teach the DOCTRINE of the plan of salvation in this lesson for some sweet new investigators (Efren Fernandez and his son, Efren de Jesus Fernandez.) We focused on the Fall, the Atonement, and the Resurrection. And it was so. good. We had to text President Hall after it was over; it was that good.

The root of everything is, we are fallen. But through Jesus Christ, we can be clean. And because He lives, we will live again.

That's it. That's all it is. And I feel like I'm finally starting to really get it. Understanding doctrine is so filling. So sometimes our days are kind of crazy and I still have problems and this area is kind of harder to work in because it's a lot of knocking and not a lot of street contacting and either Jose Morales will get baptized this Sunday or we will drop him. But Jesus came to the earth to save us. And that is big enough and consuming enough that it makes everything okay.

When we were in that lesson we had explained that- how Christ saves us from spiritual and physical death- and then we went through a quickie "schedule" outline. We asked Efren & Efren if they believed they could live in the Celestial Kingdom one day. Efren Sr. said yes; Efren Jr. said no, because God judges you on what you've done, and he's done a lot of things.

But that's the point! we explained. No one is perfect! Repentance! You can change! etc etc. and then he said (and I love this)

"No. You asked me if I thought I could make it and I gave you my honest answer. I don't think I can. I don't think it's possible. Not for me."

And then the member we had brought with us, Hna Ortega (literally 4'5" on a tall day; I worship her) said, "Satan wants you to feel like you cannot repent. He wants you to feel like you are not worthy, that you cannot change, but that is not the truth. Jesus promised though your sins be as crimson, they will be white like wool." (I can't paraphrase everything she shared, because she's Latina and you know how they can talk, but those were the parts that really rang true to me.) After she said that I was so happy. I was like YES! We're finally there. Jesus redeems us, and THAT is why we are called to teach people.

THAT is the gospel.

All in all, I'm just happy.

Happy we have a treadmill in our building.

Happy Hna Earnshaw gave me pepper spray the first day I got here, because I swear everyone in the city of Pacoima owns a rotweiler or a german shepard and once again, my whole life is dogs. (Except now they're big dogs.)

Happy I get my hair cut today.

Happy Hna Earnshaw likes to cook. AND used to be vegetarian before the mission as well!

Happy we have a Walmart in our area.

Happy that Valentine's day is coming up!

Happy that it is a delightful 70 degrees outside today, and it hasn't been any colder than that. (go ahead, hate me)

Happy for the future.

I woke up today with this scripture stuck in my head- "All things work together for good to them that love God." (Rom 8:28) It was a nice reminder to me.

Love you a whole lot,

Hna Simpson (WHO HAS NOW BEEN ON A MISSION FOR 10 MONTHS!!! DOUBLE DIGITS, PEOPLE!!!)