A trip to Lille

Well, well... the week flew by and it was pretty good.. Elder Schmutz is as red headed as ever and we are working hard!  Things are going good. We were able to start teaching some more people this week. The Romanians are pretty cool, we taught them with Patrick this week.  Also the Sisters gave us some of their investigators that lived in our area and we started teaching them and they are sweet... they are both really elect.. their names are Anastasie and Valery, they are a couple and have two boys... she is from Cote Divoir and I think he is Belge.. they are so sweet and we are going to set a baptismal date with them soon.. 

As for this Sunday, we got to go down to Lille, France to listen to Elder Dallin H. Oaks.  He was at the Stake Conference and all of the missionaries in Belgium and France got to go... That was pretty sweet...it was so powerful.. and he gave us direction straight from Pres. Monson that we should be teaching at least 20 lessons a week... so pretty much a Commandment.. haha 
Sounds like you all had fun riding snowmobiles... you punks... that's ok.. as for the shoes, I guess you could say that they were cute.. they were brown and pink but they just so happend to be the size that one of the Sisters wore so I gave them to her.. along with the panties... just kidding.. I only gave her the shoes.. 

As for the pictures and news from home...Man, President Dye looks old... haha as for Josh getting married, that is weird.. but his girlfriend is cute... I can't think of much else to say.. but I do have a couple of little requests... if you were wanting to send me a package for the 18th which happens to be my Birthday.. we have Zone Conference on the 20th so if you get it in the mail and get it here before then I will get it quickly, but I just wanted/ needed some things.. I would like some more non-scented shaving cream.. I had some of that Aveeno stuff for dry skin.. but other Elders (named Elder Davis) likes to use it so now it is gone.. also a couple of deodorants .. they like don't sell real deodorant here.. so just antipersperant/deodorant.. Old Spice.. Cool Blast or something.. I don't know.. also I would dig some more hair putty stuff.. I had Garnier, little green container with the green lid (not the yellow lid).. also I would like a bunch of Kool-aid packets and gravy packets.. There is something else but I am blanking.. so if I think of it, I will write you a letter and tell you... Love you so much, thanks for all that you do.. and for prayers and stuff.. take care and talk to you next Monday.. Choa 

Oh P.S. got word of who our new President is.. President Scott Brubaker 

Elder Simonson

Nice Package!!

Hey...it's good to hear from you and all that.. the problem is.. is like all the little internet shops are closed today and the only one that is open is packed.. I just waited for like an hour to get this computer so.. I am trying to hurry so Elder Schmutz can email as well...
Well, I finally got Tess and Jake's package... And frankly I am a little confused... It came in this huge plastic bag.. because it had been torn in two pretty much, So on the way back from Brussels for Zone Conference, I opened it...and I was surprised to find some contents that I am 36 percent sure Tess and Jake didn't send... so the slippers and the pajamas and the letters and photos were all expected... but did you send me size 6 and a half pink and brown girl American Eagle shoes?  With little power rangers in it... and also two pairs of girls panties one white and one pink...? If so you are a little wierd... and it was a lot wierd.. haha... What I think happend was there was some other packages.. and one of them got ripped open as well... and so the workers just kinda grabbed the randoms items on the floor and put them in the package.. and taped it up and sent it to Belgium like that... hahah oh that was silly... anyway we had Zone Conference this week and it was on contacting and Elder Schmutz and I had to give an example of good contacting in front of the whole zone and we contacted President Woodland... 
As regarding your questions... no I'm not fat... yes, I got your letter with photos.. last Tuesday, It was sweet... But I think you sent another one... with goodies for Valentines and I haven't gotten that one yet... At the moment I sit at 67 kilos... I am not absolutely sure what that figures out to be in pounds but one time I figured it and if I remember right it was 145 or maybe 147 so like maybe I have gained 5 or 7 pounds..; but I didn't think I was looking fat...I will admit when I looked at pictures of me in the MTC I looked skinnier in the face and stuff... 
As for things that have been going on that you can report... I don't know... Daniel was baptized.. Esther and Dylan were baptized and... Ya... Daniel at church yesterday leaned over to me and asked if he could buy a Gospel Principles book so that he could teach his mom and help her little by little want to come to church... so that is what he did... Also he invited his brother and his mom to church, but they have yet to come to church... Dylan is coming to church... Esther comes like every other week which is sad but she has a lot on her plate right now... Just tell the Ward that the Lord is amazing.. and He can do a lot of big things with small weak things ... haha... and also tell them that it is all of our jobs to move forward the work of our Heavenly Father which is helping bring souls to salvation..
Senior Companion is tough.. we have been working hard but not seeing a lot to show for it... but we are learning tons... everything is holding up well... I love my Docker shoes.. and wear them pretty much everyday... and save my Rockports for special things ..but my Dockers are taking a beating?... they almost have a hole in them, but they are fine for a little longer.. 
Anyway... so tranfers are already here... but I am staying here with E. Schmutz and so All is well.. well... I will be having a little more responsibility as well.. I have to teach District meeting now.. Love you and talk to you later..
Elder Simonson

I Love Romanians!

Well, well, well...some people other than Mom finally decided to write me... Thanks for the emails, Danny, Trisha, and Dad.. It was good to hear from you. Sounds like Dan is the same.. and Trish too... but Dad sounds like he has got some new piano skills.. SWEET.. 
Well things here in Charleroi are going well.. Elder Schmutz and I have been having trouble finding new investigators.. well I guess technically we find new people and have miracles, but then the miracle people leave for a week or are really sick and can't see us or just make other excuses to not have to meet with us..So this week was pretty much finding (tracting) all day everyday.
As for Daniel, he recieved the Aaronic Priesthood this Sunday and blessed the Sacrament... He is a stud.. He will be teaching this elect lady with us tomorrow.. 
Oh, before I forget, I got the pictures and my card Mom, thank you very much. I loved the pictures.. All the little kids have grown, especially Addi and Lilly. Craziness.. 
So yesterday I had an exchange with Elder Hoskyns my Zone Leader... It was awesome and full of the craziest miracles... So after church we had decided to go do some porting on this road before going to see a guy.. and the road that Elder Hoskyns was feeling just happened to be a road where we met this Romanian lady just a few days earlier.. So we decide to stop by.. and we ring the door bell.. and this girl comes out and is like, "ohhh no, we aren't interested" and we start talking to her for a second and then all of a sudden the girl that Elder Schmutz and I had contacted earlier named Lydia came out of the door just smiling.. and she was so excited.. so they told us to come in. We went in and started teaching her and her sister in law... it was going sooo good and we had just started talking about Joseph Smith when Lydia's husband comes bursting in the room... and is like, "who are you and what are you here to talk to me about?"... so we start explaining who we are and he starts trying to find all these faults in the Church and starts realizing that our church is pretty good.. so we are teaching him and his wife and sister in law and like three kids and the husband is just asking the perfect questions and we get done explaining the Apostasy and start explaining Joseph Smith and literally 8 HUGE mofia looking Romanians just start filing in and kids everywhere.. and we just looked at each other like "oh freak..." but then they all just start listening to us.. and the Spirit's pretty strong.. and everyone is just gathered around listening... then this really scary looking guy starts speaking Romanian and then everyone starts speaking and we are like "now, now, no speaking about me in your native tongue..." haha  No, we are just like "what is going on?"... then in broken French the ring leader looking guy is like "a besoin de la parole de dieu.." (We need the word of God..) then Lydia's husband is like "he wants you to go and give a prayer for our sick uncle in the hospital..." so we get in this huge caravan of 3 cars full of Romanians and go to the hospital where we find, no joking, 40 Romanians in the hall way and they are all just soo excited to see us... we were going to give him a blessing, but then he had to go back to his room.. so we will give it to him later..; but we are seeing this family this Friday, and everyone is just so excited to talk to us.. it was sweeeet..... Well I've got to go, but I love you all and will talk to you later..
Elder Von Simonson

Daniel's Baptism

Well things went so well with Daniel's baptism. It was sooo spiritual. Daniel's parents came and we had a great turn out with members. Esther spoke at his baptism on baptism and it was so solid. She has a way strong testimony of the restored gospel, it was sweet.

Also another member spoke on the Holy Ghost, but he spoke more about how much this gospel and the decision to be baptized blesses and changes lives. He talked about when his dad (the patriarch) decided to be baptized around 23 (the age of Daniel) and how he did not realize what a huge thing he was doing. And how becuse of that decision, he was married in the temple and had kids who were married in the temple and had kids etc. etc. .. It was cool. Also I don't think I told you but I was able to baptize Daniel. He chose me because it was me and Elder Reynolds who found him and he wanted someone from the Ward to confirm him. So that was sweet... I was content. President was able to attend the baptism. He said he felt like he needed to come down, so that was pretty cool and he bore his testimony and congratulated Daniel.
This Sunday we had a member of the Quorum of the Seventy present in our Sacrament Mtg... Elder Kopischke (from Germany) none of us are really sure why, but it was sweet because Daniel got the Holy Ghost and we had an awesome testimony meeting.
Daniel got up and was the last to bear his testimony before Elder K. It was so great.  His testimony was better than the other members who told stories.. haha, But he got up and told why he decided to be baptized and how he met us.. He said that when he met us he wasn't really interested but his heart or his soul or something inside of him told him to listen because we had something important to tell him..so he listened and then we asked him if we could talk to him another time.. so he said yes and then we invited him to church and he said yes and came because of curiosity, but then he loved it and felt really good.. but he said he figured he just showed up on a really good weekend.. SO he told himself he would try again next week and see what it was like and everytime he came it was just as good as the first.. and he said everytime we came over he felt good and felt like everything we told him was truth.. so that's why he decided to be baptized.. Then he said that he felt happier than he has ever felt in his life.. And at the pulpit he told the members that he was going to try his hardest to contribute to the Ward, that he was going to do his part and that he would be there every Sunday and that he wouldn't let down the Ward if they didn't let him down... it was so sweet... He is so elect.. He is getting the Aaronic Priesthood next Sunday and will be blessing the sacrament... It was great and all the members love him... Elder K. was smiling the whole time, as was I.. We sang the closing song stading up and I just started thinking... ya know, what if I didn't come on a mission, Daniel maybe wouldn't have had the chance to hear the gospel and be able to know the things that he needs to live with Heavenly Father after this life; It was pretty special... you could say I cried a little.. I definately know why I came to Charleroi.. and am thankful for the blessings I have seen...
Anyway, sounds like everything is going great back home... I love you all.. I will talk to you later!
Elder SImonson