Paris...this week!

Hey mom, and Fam. Well this is my new email account... jacob.simonson@myldsmail.net...They updated myldsmail... so.. it is better now...

I still got your emails... It transferred everything... and I can still get on the old one for a little while so... but now just write to this new one...

Well... I am feeling pretty weird.. I feel like I am in a limbo state... I'm still here in Brussels and I know that I will be going to Paris this coming Thursday. We went and picked up the new Dutch Assistant this week, Elder Christensen's new companion. His name is Elder Wells.. He is a great guy.

It was cool, this week we have been doing a lot of exchanges because our companionship is closing.. So we have just been working in other people's areas...that way the work we do is more effective. On Monday we had a lot of planning and prep for Zone conference and the switch. Then on Tuesday we went up to the Netherlands! My last time in that beautiful country.. We went and did an exchange with the Zone leaders in Apeldoorn.. I got to try out my Dutch speaking skills... I understood a little, enough to answer back in English... how long I had been in Europe and what not.. It was cool.. It was a great day. We went to this beautiful city called Deventer, just outside of Apeldoorn. We slept there and then we brought Elder Wells back with us (he was in Apeldoorn) and we had a mini transfer in Roosendaal with a few missionaries.. Then the rest of Wednesday we finalized our plans for Zone Conference with our new comp Elder Wells... and that ate up the rest of Wed.

Thursday, Elder Wells and Christensen went to St. Niklaas in Belgium to work with the Zone Leaders and I stayed in Brussels and did an exchange with Elder Benito.. We had a big exchange with the Brussels Zone. It was an awesome day... It was full of miracles.. we stopped by this inactive member of Brussels 2 Ward, who's wife is not a member and they were home... so we got to meet his wife, and by coincedence, her father had just recently died and it was the day that he was burried when we came over...so they were a little sad and somber.. but we taught her about the Plan of Salvation and it was very powerful...

Yesterday we did a lot of stopping by our investigators and telling them that we are leaving and that new missionaries will be coming to teach them...

It will be sad to leave Kadio.. he is still doing great.. it is just taking him time to prepare to be baptized.. I can almost guarentee that he will be baptized... he shows up to church every Sunday and he has a testimony.. Now he just needs to get married or move out so that he can be baptized..

I went to see the Family Johnson one last time last night... It was very special. They were all sad.. but they are doing so amazing that I am not scared to leave them... Mercy has a calling in the Primary.. ans she loves it and she has awesome visiting teachers that visit her... Bro Johnson will be getting a calling.. but he already has home teachers who visit him.. and he is a home teacher and he is doing his visits on Sunday... They are very well integrated.. Elisa is in with all the youth and will be going on a youth trip with them... so I am very thankful for an awesome Ward that is taking such good care of them...

Now I am just ready to go down to Paris and find a new Family Johnson... I am ready to work... and in French especially. I miss teaching and doing missionary work in French... It is better, I promise... that and it is easier to find people who speak French... English is a lot less common... hmmm weird huh?? :)

Well, I will stay here in Brussels until Thursday... We have Zone Conferences on Tuesday (Dutch side) then on Wed. in Lille, France and Pres. and Sis. Staheli and their Assistants will be there for Wed and Thurs and then I will go back down to Paris with them... Weird... I don't know what I will be doing exactly. I don't know if I will stay Assistant or if I will just help Pres. Staheli with transfers and then head out to a new city... I would love that! Anyway.. that is about it..

I love you..

Elder Simonson