Brief Email - 3/28/16

So a funny thing I heard this week. Apparently the Prophet is involved in a conspiracy against.....

wait for it.....

wait for it.....

BEARDS!!!!!

Yeah we have some crazy people we meet with! I have heard it all and I am sure that I will hear more crazy stuff!

We had a super good week this week! 15 lessons! And 12 were with less-active members! We shared the #Hallelujah message a ton too. I have watched it more than 30 times now and I still feel the Spirit strongly each time. I hope and pray that they feel it strongly too. I feel like we tend to over complicate things in the church sometimes. We can get distracted with who is speaking, speaking to, time period, related events, yadda yadda yadda, and that is all good to know too! But we can't get distracted from the simple message that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, so that we don't have to and so that we may live again. For that I am extremely grateful.

Y'all just heard a point of the message we shared with people this week with the video. (almost word for word) Now, I would like to challenge you share it with someone! The Church made it to be shared like I have mentioned, so I hope to receive the outcomes of this next week! I know that if you pray for a chance to share it, you will be blessed with one! It won't fall in your lap, so keep an eye peeled and don't be afraid to act!

That is all, I am super limited on time.

With a ton of love and gratitude,

Elder Ciminski

A car of a friend of someone we're teaching. 

Drawbridge!!!

Pollen!  It is everywhere and coating everything and no allergies yet!

#Hallelujah - 3/21/16

This week was good! We didn't teach many lessons and we got dropped by one of our new and most promising investigators, but it was still awesome! We had a lesson with a man and it was an interesting lesson. We knew it was going to be that way when he said, "You know, I was doing some studying on you guys..." as he pulled out an old textbook entitled "The Kingdom of the Cults". Fun times. The lesson turned out to be pretty good and we were able to testify of doctrine and the Atonement. I classify a successful lesson as one where Jesus Christ is testified of, and we did do that!

Speaking of which, have you guys watched the new initiative at followhim.mormon.org? It is super good and I love it! We got special cards for it too and we have been giving them out to everyone trying to get new investigators from it. No success in this department yet, but we are trying!

I have been trying to become a better missionary lately (not that there is a time where I am not, I always am) and I am feeling like I am not making any progress. But I am trying to be more positive and to work harder, but sometimes it is so hard! If you guys have any suggestions for me I would very much appreciate them!

We went on a bike ride last week and I got some cool pictures, I will send them to you separately. But Virginia is so pretty! I still miss Arizona though!

We are still working with people and trying to get them closer to Baptism, then the Temple! I love being a missionary and I am so grateful for all of your love and support, not only out here, but growing up too.

Elder Ciminski

Popcorn Popping!

A Local Lake

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Dolls - 3/14/16

So there is this guy in our ward. He is super nice and super funny, but his wife collects Dolls. They have about 800. EVERYWHERE. He is friendly and feeds us all the time. He is kinda like a grandpa to the missionaries!

This week was a good week. We had the car and two new investigators were found. I haven't met them yet because I was on an exchange, but I am excited to meet them! It brings our total investigators up to 5.

We have a Zone Conference this Thursday that I am really excited for. They are always great opportunities to learn and I feel like I need some learning! LOL. But seriously, I feel like my new area has so much untapped potential and I intend to tap into it, I just need some guidance.

So a cool thing that happened was we were able to contact a less-active guy who is...wait for it...a street racer! He has a suped up Dodge Charger Superbee that has a license plate...

...but that isn't why we talked to him, we didn't even talk about it. He wants to come back to church. There are many part member families in the ward who we want to work with.

That is all! Have a good week!

Elder Ciminski

Mt. Pleasant! - 3/1/16

Hey you guys! I just want to start this week off by saying how much I love you guys and I am so grateful for all of the support you guys give me. Thanks! <3

I am liking my new area. There is a lot of work to be done here! I look forward to serving here and watching the area grow! My companion is a pretty cool dude.  There isn't much to report yet. We didn't do much this week because of transfers. We did have a Stake Conference yesterday and we had the Temple President and Matron from Raleigh speak to us and it was really cool! Temples are awesome!

It was a bummer to leave everyone behind in my old area, but I am sure that they are in good hands. It doesn't really matter who teaches them, but the fact that they are being taught is important.

I still wish it was me though. :)

Anyway, we met a new couple in the ward who are from Gilbert! They got married in the Gilbert Temple in January and she went to Perry and he went to Gilbert. Class of 2015 and 2013, respectively. Small world! They are all coming out here!

That is all for this week, I will have more this next week though!

With love,

Elder Ciminski

What are the odds?

Tornado! - 2/29/16

I am getting transferred! My new area is a 1/2 bike area (bike one week, drive another). I am super excited! The cool thing about missions is that you have a ton of fresh starts (like every 6 weeks) and I intend to make the most out of this one! I am a bit sad to leave Smithfield though. I will miss the members. But there will be more great people to meet I am sure! I decided to buy the small "You Never Sausage a Pretty Face" and I will send it home with other stuff. Please don't throw any of it away, but you can hang up the art stuff. :)

This week we had a small tornado outbreak, as I'm sure you know. Y'all also know that I love severe weather, BUT NOT WHEN ALL WE KNOW IS THAT THERE IS A TORNADO WARNING! I like to be in the know, you know? ;) But apparently there were 4 tornados within 20 Miles of us and 4 people died. Really sad. We are fine and so is our car. We were driving through our apartment complex in high winds and a tree fell and showered the road with branches, some of which hit our car. We were protected and I am grateful for that.

We had a dinner with some investigators this week and it went really well. We talked a lot about family history and temples (a new focus from the church) and the spirit was definitely there. I want to get involved with family history when I get home! I wish I had when I was home! It is so cool. And she was open to coming to church! Which is a big step. She didn't end up coming, but she said she was open to it!

Another investigator is moving across the James River to Newport News. He also has been skipping church. Bummer. I am not sure if he will end up getting baptized. But we did our part and now he has his agency and it is up to him!

This email feels really short, but I have several pictures to send so maybe that will make up for it?

With a ton of love,

Elder Ciminski

With Members

Selfie photo bomb by my companion

"Road" to our investigator, we haven't gotten stuck yet!

Tornado!

The shower of tree branches.

Hey! - 2/21/16

So not much has changed this week. I already told most of y'all this but we still didn't go out much this week. Bummer. But I am trying to still stay busy and staying in good spirits, but it is hard sometimes! But as the librarian says every week when we greet her, "I'm Survivan'!"

We have the dinner that we have been planning for almost a MONTH now tonight and as of 11:43 EST all is going according to plan! *Knocks on wooded desk where library computer is located* Yay! I am so excited for it! It has been kind of a roller-coaster ride, but right now we are on a peak and I have high hopes for her! And our investigator is struggling. He didn't go to church because he went to another group and he is thinking of joining! He is definitely unique! But he has turned his life around though and that is the best part about him!  We just need to help him keep that eternal perspective!

We finally got a lesson in with someone new last Monday and boy does she like to talk! My companion and I met her when we first got here and we were able to get her to hear our message finally! SO she is an Investigator now! She did say once to my first companion that our parents raised us right and should be proud! Anyway, I am running out of time this week, I got a lot of emails.

Before I send this I just want to thank you guys for all that you do to support me! I really do appreciate it and I don't know what I would do without y'all! XOXOXO

Elder Ciminski

Train Selfie

I got bored with the letter thing - 2/15/16

Hey, so this week was very similar to last week. My companion should be getting in to see a Neurologist sometime this week or next and get some prescriptions so that should help! But we were able to get out a bit more this week and teach some lessons. We are going to teach our neighbor tonight which I am SUPER excited for. I can already see her getting baptized! And we are going with a young man who got baptized with his sister on Saturday! His name is Wesley and he is awesome! He wasn't our baptism, the Sisters taught him, but I am still super excited for them.

This is them and the Sisters who taught them. They are from Puerto Rico. Their mom and their older brother were also there. Super cool.

Other than that not much has happened. Crazy weather though over here. It only got to 28 yesterday and we woke up to 3 inches of snow. But now it is all melting because it is 40 degrees now and raining hard, but tomorrow there will be thunderstorms and it will be 60. Weird. I heard it is almost 90 back home! I am a tad bit jealous! 

Hopefully this week is more eventful. Pray for us!

Pig Stuff

I also have a pig pin. I love all of the pig stuff here. The Peanut shop has all of this. Remember the "You never sausage a pretty face?" They have a mini one now for less than $20! If I stay here for another transfer, I will get it and send it home. :) Grandma C would love all of this too I'm sure!