Late, late, late!

How could I be late  What else is new.

Happy (late) Birthday to Aaron. My first born. The child who experienced the full on ineptitude of my motherhood and lived to tell the tale. Not only survived but somehow thrived anyway. The nurse at the hospital had to remind me to burp him after I fed him. When we got home from the hospital I was almost soaked by a little fountain when I changed his diaper the first time. How did I not know little boys did that? That event dissolved me to tears. The reality hit me that despite my years as an older sister and babysitting so many children, I had never been a mother before. Never  been THE ONE responsible for the life of another. If a child had a problem in the past, all I had to do what hold on till the mom got home and she would know what to do. Now I was THE MOM and I didn't know what to do. It was that moment I realized I could not do this alone. I just didn't know how to be a mom. But I did know how to love - and part of my fear was there because of the overwhelming love I had for this new little boy that was my son. The thought of making mistakes and ruining him petrified me. I'm so glad I had a wonderful husband  - who also was new at this - and a loving Heavenly Father to support, guide and encourage me every step of the way. 

It seems to have worked.  

Because he is now eight years older than I was when he was born. Married to a wonderful woman with a delightful little girl and one more coming in March. He is bright, talented, devoted, funny, spiritual and a great dad and snowman maker. I couldn't be more proud. While I realize that I did play a part in his upbringing, when I look at the person he is today, I realize that only a small part of that was because of me.

Happy Birthday Aaron!

First Christmas in Argentina

Hey family! It was soo good to talk to all of you! well almost everyone.. haha sorry I didn't really do too well talking to everyone individually.. I kinda felt bad about that after.. but oh well, all in all it was a good experience! I´m soo happy to hear that all went well with grandma´s get together, that´s really cool that you guys got to do that.


This week was really slow, we had a really hard time getting to see our investigators, it seems that they were never in their houses.. :) and its understandable with the fiestas of Christmas and new year, the streets were dead. So we ended up doing a lot, a lot of contacting, and I actually enjoyed it. We found quite a few future investigators, so we will be going around to see them, and try to get some new blood. But this week I really felt the Lord pouring out the spirit to help me understand and know how to respond to people. 


Family, I love you guys, I am doing well here, my companion and I get along well, every once in a while things aren't perfect, but all in all things are good, we have a lot of goals and things to improve on, but we are striving to be the best missionaries we can be. I know the lord will bless us for our actions and desires, and he will make us into what he needs us to be. 
New years was awesome. We went with the other Elders with a family in their area and ate an asado (BBQ) with lamb and chicken. It was zoo good. I´ll have to send you pictures (next week because i forgot my card reader) and again they had a ton of fireworks (its more like the fourth of July here than any other holiday) but it´s cool! Also this coming Tuesday we will be moving apartments finally! We are pretty excited for that, one of the members from the other Elder´s ward has a truck and he´s going to help us move. This week more than ever we have been feeling the heat! It has been soo hot, and it hasn´t helped that they have been cutting the water... we went two days without water (don't worry, we have water to drink which is separate..) but it has helped us in a couple instances to talk to people and get into a couple houses, they always say "what are you doing out right now! its too hot, you should be inside sleeping.." and stuff like that, but i have been amazed at how the heat really hasn't affected me all that much (don't worry i´ve been using sunscreen!) 


love you guys! hope all is good, that you all had a beautiful new years, and that we can all make a little more effort this new year to dedicate ourselves a little more to the gospel and in our commitment to repenting every day! love you guys, sorry this is a little bit shorter, and maybe a little bit dry, but hopefully I have more to tell you about next week!

con amor, Elder Zimbelman

Christmas 2012

I've never had a two week period go so quickly in my life! 

It's almost a blur, but it was a glorious blur. 

Many of those days I was privileged to hold joy in my arms. 

I breathed in pure love and sweet innocence 

and felt on my cheek the silky strands of hope. 

I came away from this Christmas season full of faith in our future. 

A brightness of hope for the upcoming new year.

I think I'm getting a little glimpse of the insight that age and experience brings. 

(I must be getting old)

As I held and played with my grandchildren I understood the full circle. 

I had once held my children in a similar fashion. 

And then watched them grow and change, face challenges and sorrow... and joy. 

I witnesses and experienced the parents of these little ones becoming adults

 and watched them step into the shoes I once filled as a young parent.  

Interacting with these little ones I felt of their goodness, watched them making sense of the world,

 looking to those around them to be reassured that they were safe and loved. 

And strangely, it was easy for me to imagine them as teenagers and adults.

Today their view of the world is so simple and basic but also so accurate. 

Their parents have and are building a strong foundation for them in these formative years. 

A foundation that will carry them through the rest of their lives. 

It won't be long before they are spending more time in the world than at home. 

While the world can be a wonderful place, there is also much out there that will test and try them and cause them to wonder if they are cool enough, smart enough or good enough... and it seems the challenges they will face are only getting more intense.

But many, many years ago a pure innocent child was born to a virgin in a stable far away.

This child was loved and nurtured and taught by his parents who he really was. 

He lived a perfect life. 

He was willing to submit and be obedient to Gods will. 

Even though the world mocked and scourged him, he knew deep down who he was and what his mission on this Earth was, and he did not stray from it. 

Because He did this there is hope for all of us.

Because of this child born in Bethlehem we can be reassured that,

"God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. Nor will he, so long as time shall last or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man or woman or child upon the face thereof to be saved"*

In this I feel immense gratitude and joy and hope.

I hope that I can always be part of that solid foundation that will help steady these children when the storms of life come... because they most surely will.

But they will be able to overcome because of the Savior.

*quote taken from Jeffery R. Holland. Read it all here

Hot and Sunny

Might need a close up of this little critter...

Yep! Bed bugs....

Ha, how´s it going? Things are great here, it seems to get hotter every day, it is super dry here, and you really feel the sun. Things are good, we got some chemicals from the mission presidents wife, and took apart our beds and took them outside and sprayed them all down with chemicals, to try and kill all of the bed bugs and we have been sleeping well. My companion and I are getting along great, and have been working really hard.. ( ha ha I have to say I am having a hard time writing in English, because my companion is Latino and so I only speak in Spanish.. ha ha and i keep on wanting to say things in Spanish, then i have to stop and think of how i say it in English, it is really weird!!) My companion and I have a lot of energy and excitement to work here, and we know that we will be seeing it boom here. 

 Yesterday, Sunday I had my first opportunity to speak in sacrament meeting, and it went really well, I was a little nervous, but I had prayed and prepared with the spirit, and knew what i wanted to say, and so it went really well. I was amazed how the spirit guided me, and gave me the things i needed to say. (I didn't even have it written word for word, I just had notes, and scriptures... my first talk like that!) I am always amazed how the lord sustains and blesses us, as we do his will and seek his help. He really does love us. In my talk I spoke about charity, and I read a little section about the life of Jesus Christ, and he is an example for each and every one of us, in how he lived, how he was able to serve and love every person that he came in contact with, even the soldiers who were the ones to end his life, and I took some time and thought about what it would take to be able to do that, and what i have come to conclude, is that he loves us, and has experienced every one of our lives, and so he views us with the perspective of our eternal potential, our potential to become like our heavenly father, and so, when we take that into perspective, that every one of us has that potential, and that really is what we are all searching, and striving for, the ability to be eternally happy, when we see the people around us, fall and make mistakes, and maybe leave the path, we need to view them as our heavenly father views us, and do everything we can to help pick them back up, brush them off, and get them on their way. That is what the gospel is all about, repenting and changing and striving to become better, so that one day we will be able to achieve our potential, and ultimately be happy. Every single on of us will fall and make mistakes, and sin, that is part of the plan, so we need to remember that, and always strive to do what we can to repent, and help others to do the same, so we can take advantage of the atonement and be considered worthy through christ´s perfection. It is simple and beautiful, yet we could study it forever and still learn and be edified. I love the gospel family, I know it is true, I am soo happy that I have the opportunity to share this great message with the world, and get to try and build up the Lords kingdom in this little dry, hot, dirty place in the world. I love it. 

Eating gnocchi for lunch, Elder Rivera across the table

Pizza that Christian made

Love,

Elder Zimbelman

Let there be LIGHT(S)!

 

 

Thanks Jenn for your help and the awesome pictures!

Hmmm

Trying really hard to enjoy the Christmas season and not stress out.

Does "trying really hard" mean I'm stressing out?

Reframed and reworded:

Taking the season a day at a time asking my heart:
Is this really important?
Does this invite the spirit of Christmas into our home?
Is it causing me undue stress?
with moments of: "Will the kids be upset if we don't. Will I be? Does their opinion really count? If they are not happy will I be happy anyway? Are they willing to take over and make it work? Is there some kind of formula that can give me a definitive answer" thrown in for good measure.

Three stockings looks a little bare...

Listening to lots of David Archuleta - He sure can sing, I'm beginning to understand the obsession!, Celine Dion and a touch of Donny Osmond ("Mary did you know?") Christmas music.

Need to get the house decorated ASAP so we can hurry up and enjoy it before we have to take it all down.

Do the neighbors care if we are the only ones without lights on the house? Do I care? Do I care what the neighbors think? Do they care what I think? But I want lights on the house, I like lights on the house...

Gingerbread house? Gingerbread Provo Tabernacle? Gingerbread nativity.... but how do you do the people, they're kind of important... skip gingerbread this year?

Please ignore the lego man and his car...

We are giving family members a trip for Christmas... do I still need something under the tree? Does it count if I wrap a note with said gift and put it under the tree... is it worth the effort... will they think it's something else and be disappointed? Do I care of there is nothing under the tree?

some traditions will never go away

Is it fair to our still-at-home-in-high-school-child that she get the same your-gift-is-the-trip Christmas present as our married kids when family trips are usually already part of the deal when you are 16 or should I be doing some shopping? Is she missing out on important Christmas memories because she's the only one left at home? Do I owe it to her to continue to do all the things we used to do when all the kids were home or will she be Ok being part of the transition?

   







Nativity scenes... lots and lots of nativity scenes. The essence of Christmas.

 Especially when they provide evidence that little ones have been around.  

 Children always seem to understand what's most important.

More from Elder Z

Hey family! 


Ha, if this letter sounds like every other one, it probably is because it is.. I think i start all of them the same.. ha ha oh well..
Hey i just want to start out and say thank you for your letters, I always feel of your love, and they fill me with more love and appreciation for the lord, and this time i have to serve him. thank you for your advice, for everything! I love to hear from each of you!
 
This week has been a very eventful week, ha ha, first of all elder Rivera is my new companion, we are getting along great, and I really think we will be seeing this area begin to explode. We are both very excited to work and it doesn't hurt that he is Latino and speaks Spanish as his native tongue. Well the first night he was here, he couldn't sleep, and we found out that we have bedbugs in our pension.. so we are going to work just that little bit harder to find a new pension :) as well as the other day I woke up a little sick to my stomach, but it was just for a little, and I have been feeling fine ever since. 


Things are going really well here, both elder rivera and I are really motivated and excited to get to work here, and I know the Lord will do his work in his own way, and in his own time. 
Love you all, cant wait to talk with you this Christmas! keep on saying your prayers, and reading your scriptures! There is soo much to learn, every one of us has more to learn, and more blessings we could be recieving, so ask the lord waht you can be doing better, and listen, and he will answer. love you all! Have a good week!

love,
Elder Zimbelman