Week 4 MTC 4.29.15

So... in twelve days I will be on a plane to Norge. Whaaat?? Også -- I apologize in advance for my grammar. It's going down the drain. But that's okay because that means I am getting better at Norwegian grammar, ikke sant?? ;)

Where to begin... shower song of the week? Well. It was a combination of singing Les Mis in my most beautiful opera voice, singing Disney songs in Norwegian, and some more Backstreet Boys. So that's a good time.

This has been a crazy week. I don't even know where to begin!! Okay well I MET KYLE COLLINSWORTH hahahaha and I fangirled a little too much but all is well. He was here as a Russian TRC volunteer. I love him.

I have two companions right now, and I love it. It's a struggle having companions sometimes but they are the biggest blessing and I absolutely love both of them so much. They have both taught me a lot and I am so grateful for them!!!

ALSO the MTC choir is the best thing in the world. DO CHOIR IF YOU ARE COMING TO THE MTC. JUST DO IT. The choir director is seriously the best man you will ever meet and he's hilarious. And choir is just such a fun break during the week. Last week we sang Joseph Smith's First Prayer and HOOOLY COW it was so beautiful and there is absolutely no denying that Joseph Smith truly was and is a prophet of God. Also, something interesting that I have never known before that was a HUGE testimony builder for me -- they have several different accounts of the first vision on LDS.org. Check them out, they are so rad!!!! 

Dangit there are so many things I want to say but so little time. I love all of you and I am just blown away with the love and support I have received from everyone. I LOVE YOU ALL

Also the MTC food is great and all but I am soooooooo excited for some home cooked meals jafeel

Okay, missionary mode. (unnskyld) If there is one thing I have learned from teaching my instigators, it is that in order to progress, they need to have a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon. I could teach every single lesson, they could go to church every single week, but none of it will mean anything unless they have a FIRM testimony of the Book of Mormon. Read it, ponder it, pray about it, and when you are done, keep reading, pondering, and praying. That book is more correct than any other book on this earth -- it testifies of Christ and teaches correct doctrine, and if one develops a testimony of the Book of Mormon, a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and of the restored gospel will follow. READ THE BOOK OF MORMON EVERY SINGLE DAY. I can not even begin to explain all the blessings I have received from reading it!!

This gospel is true you guys. There is just no more room for doubt!!! It rocks. You all rock. Stay awesome!!

Til vi ses igjen,

Søster Sims

Week 3 MTC 4.22.15

Hallo!!

19 DAYS TIL NORGE. Am I freaking out, YEAH. I am just so so so so so excited to get there!!! I am also excited to get outside. As wonderfully wonderful as the MTC is, you feel a little cooped up and you don't see nature that much which is kinda saddish but I seriously love the MTC. ANYWAYYYY they opened the playing field today so WE ACTUALLY GOT TO GO OUTSIDE HAHAHA and we ran free and it was incredible and I spent a whole hour playing sand volleyball and my knees and elbows are so raw from diving in that sand WEEW and yeah it has been a great time. Also I love my zone, that is all.

So many amazing experiences this week... I don't even know where to start. This church is so so so true and I can't even begin to describe the spirit that I have felt!!! My investigators are progressing and it's really hard to teach them on my own but I am getting the hang of it and Norwegian has come so naturally to me. It's amazing how much you can learn in three weeks!!!

Also, HAHAHA. So in norwegian "snillest" means "nicest" so we were like writing sentences in class and our teacher wrote "Gud er snillest" (god is the nicest) and Eldste Nelson and I completely LOST IT because it sounded like our teacher said "God is illest" and I am so sorry if that sounds sacrilegious but it was hilarious. amen

So I'm in a trio now, and my companions are sister Bourelle (the canadian one going to sweden) and Sister Ackerman (she's from AZ, going to Denmark) and they rock. We have a lot of good times together. I thought it would be awkward having a companion all the time but it is honestly so wonderful!! anyway sister A and I were brushing our teeth a couple nights ago talking about the wonders of the universe and I said "I think when Heavenly Father made me, he forgot to add some super vital part of my brain and that's why I'm so hyper all the time" and sister Ackerman goes, "No, I think he did that on purpose so He could laugh at you" so I thought that was pretty wonderful and I just wanted to share that because (#superdeepmoment) heavenly father makes us all different in our own ways and we all rock! so use your quirks and talents to your advantage because heavenly Father wants you exactly as you are.

Also, for all you people coming to the MTC -- WATCH. CHARACTER. OF. CHRIST. holy cow it will change your entire life.

Shower songs of the week: I've been sticking to some backstreet boyz and NSYNC. it's a fan favorite.

Last little tid bit I wanted to share :) SO one of my teachers, Brother Smith, is literally going to be the prophet some day. He is amazing. For one of our lessons, he had us write down all of our insecurities on the white board (at first I was like WHAT?? but it was just me and the three other elders in my class who are like family by now) and so we did. I wish I could explain how he said it, but it was incredibly powerful. He said, "All of these negative thoughts up on this board are NOT YOUR THOUGHTS. These are put in your head by the adversary who will make you think ANYTHING to bring you down. You may think you are not good enough, or not cool enough, or not WHATEVER enough, BUT YOU ARE. Don't let the adversary put those thoughts in your head, they are not true!!! And notice how all of these thoughts are pretty much the same? Yeah, Satan isn't very creative. So push those thoughts out of your head because they are not true." I. LOVED. THAT. He had us look up scriptures when we were done that counteracted our insecurities and it was amazing. Seriously, PUSH THOSE THOUGHTS OUT OF YOUR HEAD. We are all good enough, don't let satan make you think negative thoughts. 

I love you all!! Have an amazing week! Til vi ses igjen!!!

xoXOxOxo, Søster Sims

(I think these photos are pretty self explanatory!)

Week 2 MTC 4.15.15

HALLO ALL <3

I am seriously so grateful for everyone's love and support, you are all amazing!!! <3

Norwegian is coming pretty easily. I'm really really grateful for the gift of tongues BECAUSE I PROMISE YOU IT IS REAL. Like I said last week, I started teaching the third day I got here. This week, I got a new investigator named Johannes. Because I'm a solo sister (The only sister in the MTC who is speaking Norwegian) I have to teach lessons by myself. It's kind of scary sometimes but it's incredible to feel the spirit work through you and touch the people you teach!!! This week I was teaching Johannes about the Restoration. I had this perfect lesson planned out in Norwegian and I felt confident that I could teach well -- but later when I went to teach, he completely went off subject!!! He started asking questions that I didn't know how to answer and I wasn't prepared for. I said a quick prayer in my head, and then started to speak -- I said words I didn't even know I could say! It was so incredible!! I was able to bear a really powerful testimony IN NORWEGIAN and by the end of the lesson I committed Johannes to pray about Joseph Smith and to start reading the Book of Mormon! It was AMAZING!!!

Fun fact: google translate seventy seven to swedish and listen to it. IT SERIOUSLY IS JUST "HOOTY HOO" and it's hilarious. my companion is swedish and its a good time.

Also, our dear sister duncan left us to go to holland on Monday. :( I will miss her and her lovely self. I only knew her for a week and I loved her.

The MTC is really awesome. People either love it or they hate it -- I've  heard both things. But it really is ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE!!!! You can make it fun if you want it to be fun! I'm actually getting more in shape which is super rad. I love the MTC!

For my Hawaii friends, I found Kyle and Lexi at a fireside and we took a picture. It's so fun to see people I know around the MTC! :):)

I also attached a super hot pic of me and the other sisters in my zone pointing to where we are going... except we are all pointing at the wrong countires HAHA so yeah

Okay one last super spiritual missionary thing: last night we had the most incredible fireside ever. Elder Zwick of the seventy came to speak to us. It was awesome. He was talking all about the atonement and I love love LOVED it. Towards the end of the talk he started talking about his son Scott and how he has special needs and cant take care of himself and is just the brightest spirit and loves life. Then he said, "Have you ever met somebody who is prepared to meet the savior?" and then he said, "Scotty, will you please come up here?" So Scotty slowly made his way up to the pulpit and when he finally got up there Elder Zwick said, "Scotty, what do you think about all of these missionaries?" ANd Scotty thought for a second then smiled real big and said, "I love them." (INSTANT. TEARS.) Then Elder Zwick asked, "Scotty, what do you think of the Savior?" Scotty said, "I love my Savior so much. He is always there for you when you need him. He loves me." Sometimes I have a hard time picturing what the Savior would really be like, but every time I see one of those amazing spirits or hear them speak, I get a glimpse of the Saviors love for us. Like my sweet little cousin willard (the one who is all over my instagram lol), do you not just feel like light beams are shooting out of his perfect little face??? It isn't too hard to imagine what the Savior is like when you see those people. They truly are blessed spirits and closer to Christ than we can ever imagine. :)

On another note, I still really enjoy singing in the shower. My songs this week have mostly been me singing (yelling) backstreet boys and NSYNC. It's great.

ALSO IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME, PURCHASE GEL HIGHLIGHTERS. I PROMISE YOU THEY WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

Church is true!!

Jeg elsker dere!!! Til vi ses igjen! <3

xoxOXoXoXOxo,

Søster Sims

Kensie and her roommates 

Elder Nelson, Kensie's buddy

Kensie's district in front of the Provo, Utah temple

Kensie and her companion, Sister Bourelle, being silly

Some friends from da 'aina!

Kensie and her awesome roomies!

Week 1 MTC 4.8.15

Hallo!! 

This week has been one of the craziest weeks of my entire life. I'll be honest, the MTC is tough, but it is SO awesome!!! The first four days were so rough. I cried every day because I missed my family and friends and the outside world so much. But then, we had beautiful, glorious conference. It was so so so awesome. It was like something clicked in my brain and I was able to just focus on why I'm here and what I am here to do. :) The MTC truly is the best!! If any of you go on a mission, just remember to MAKE IT TO SUNDAY :) It really changes everything!!!

So I'm learning Norwegian...very quickly. I have ten hours of language class every day except Wednesdays and Sundays :) But don't be fooled... we still have language class Wednesday night for three hours and then we have language study for a couple hours on Sunday as well. HAHA :) I love learning Norwegian. It's an amazing language and I am picking it up very quickly!

A few fun things for my BYUH friends... First, Brenden Schilling broke the MTC record for wall sits with 40 minutes...... HAHAHA. He left two days before I got here but he left his legacy behind. I also have seen Taraneh Shagjkalsdfjglkadj and it was so fun to see her! I've talked to Kyle Freeman a couple of times - He looks like such a missionary! ALSO I see Kiapo a lot... Except I don't know his last name so I just call him elder. It's cool.

PS I'm just really excited to get to Norway. I seriously love the people already and the food and yeah it will be a good time.

The MTC food is amazing so it's really really hard not to stuff your face 24/7. I've been sticking to salads and healthy breakfasts so I don't gain 50 pounds in the MTC. I've also been getting pretty swoll in the gym so I guess you could say it's a good time. (we get an hour of gym time a day and it is the best best best thing ever. I love it)

Also, you will break out in the MTC, but your sweet spirit will shine through. So it's good.

Oh, by the way, when you arrive at the MTC, you literally start teaching people within hours of getting there. It was so cool! They kind of just throw you into it. I taught my first investigator IN NORWEGIAN on Friday... my third day here. But HOLY GOOD HEAVENS, the gift of tongues is a real thing. It was such a spiritual lesson! I've taught him once more since then and we're meeting again tonight! :) He is so awesome. Ps it's really cool to feel the holy ghost work with you and the investigator. It rocks

OH one more cool thing. My zone is made up of the Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Dutch missionaries. There's like 16 of us. There are only four sisters in our district, and we all are speaking different languages. My companion, Sister Bourelle, is going to Sweden. She's so awesome!! She's from Canada and has an awesome voice and likes to quote Nacho Libre and say "eh", so naturally... I love her. The other girls I room with are also awesome. I think we're having too much fun to be on a mission. In just one week, they have become some of my favorite people!! My Norwegian class is made up of me and three other elders, and they rock. They have kind of taken on the role of big brothers and I lauf them. Yeah, your district becomes your family. I love my district (and zone) so much!!

Also, we live in like these dorm things with community bathrooms, and so every morning when we're showering, you'll hear girls singing like crazy. The most common choices are some hymns, disney songs (like tangled, frozen, the little mermaid, etc.) and my personal favorite... Drake. HAHA so every time I hear someone singing (bless their soul) I sing in a completely different key to throw them off. It's great. I also love to sing Nacho Libre songs at the top of my lungs. It's a great time and it really invites the spirit.

Okay but seriously, if I were to come home today, just after a week, my testimony would be four times what it was when my momma dropped me off here last wednesday. I have spent more times on my knees in earnest prayer, more time studying and learning and relying on the spirit than I ever have in my life. I have such a deep love for the Savior and for His Atonement, and I know He is with us through every trial. One thing I heard this week that I loved was "there is no growing in the comfort zone, and there is little comfort in the growth zone." IT'S SO TRUE. I have been stretched and tried more this week than ever but my testimony and my love for this gospel has grown immensely.You guys are my comfort (and de lord)! I've loved getting letters and packages and emails -- it's the best! I love all of you and I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. :) 

Alright, well we have less than half an hour left on these computers and I still need to write my mama so please know that if you emailed me and don't get an email from me today you will get a letter this week!

Jeg elsker dere, til vi seis igjen!!! <3

xoxo,

Soster Sims

Kens was SO excited to get her official name tag :)

Kensie and her companion...Sister Bourelle from Canada.  They're goofing off after finding the treats that Brenden Schilling left for them.

She'll be all the way up there! ;)

Some words from Mama Mel

Hi all, forgive me for not posting these updates sooner!  It's been a heck of a crazy time returning home from the mainland, adjusting to life without Kens around, and having lots of visitors to the island.  I'm hoping to update this site at least weekly from here on out.  I will also post her address every time it changes, so you can bookmark this if you are interested in mailing her.  (She LOVES snail mail, since she has so little time to email!)

Kensie's P-day (Preparation Day for those who are unaware...it's a day off, once-a-week, that she gets to email, and take care of any other details of life, like laundry.) Is Wednesday until May 11th, Then it will change to Mondays.  I take screenshots of comments and posts on here (and on FB and Insta!) and mail them to her.  She loves hearing from everyone, so comment away! :D

As Kensie's mom, I have to say I am truly happy for what she's doing.  I also have to say how grateful I am for the people that love and support her...friends, family, even strangers from the internet sometimes!

Kensie is living what she believes, which I call "True religion."  She lives it unapologetically, but never "in your face."  I find it so refreshing in a world where standards are changing daily, and many people don't know what they believe.  She has taught ME, through her example, of what obedience and faith look like, among about a million other things!

I would like to add my testimony on here of the truthfulness of the work she is doing.  The heart of everything we (Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons") do is Jesus Christ and His Atonement for all mankind.  I testify that we have a loving Heavenly Father that hears and answers our prayers!  I know that Christ lives, and that he saved all of us through his perfect life, death, and resurrection.  I have had confirmation for myself that the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God, and that Joseph Smith transcribed the plates that this book was originally written on.

Most of all, I know, from years of trial and error, and faith, that obedience to God's commandments will bring us TRUE happiness; true joy, and fill us with love.  I KNOW it!

Again, thanks to everyone who is loving and supporting our girl!  -Melanie Sims