Season 2: Clark Lake. Episode 11:‏

Its hard to tell, but our theme for our ties that day was "pastel" :D

In the future, I am pretty sure I want to try like a one sentence email. It would be something maybe 10 words, but I would have thought a ton about them a whole bunch and will have carefully crafted it together.

Currently we have 3 solid progressing investigators.

Hugh, Bob, and Kevin. 

Hugh is progressing super great. He has been solid on the word of wisdom and keeping it. He is still trying to get Sunday off for work so he can go to church. Our ward employment specialist is helping and Hugh is having great results. We are praying for him to be able to obtain a great job that allows him to attend church or for the necessary changes to happen so he can go. Hugh fully recognizes that church is important and that keeping the Sabbath day holy is a commandment and is trying to make the changes to live that commandment.

Bob is brother Jamias' father in-law. He is really awesome and very close to being baptized. He wants to be baptized and has had tons of influence with the church already. He understands a lot and comes to church. We are helping him understand more about the gospel and inspiring him to live the commandments. He has some Word of Wisdom issues that we are trying to help him through.

Kevin is a very intelligent and analytically. We are helping him understand and recognize The Holy Ghost and helping him exercise some faith. We have finished the first 3 lessons with him and we are very excited to start teaching him the commandments to give him those opportunities to show some faith and act. We had a great lesson on Saturday after a baptism we attended with him where he really expressed himself and we were able to gain a greater grasp on his progress. It was amazing.

I was sick yesterday. I woke up in the morning and didn't feel super great and after we got back from church for lunch I rested. Since we were in a trio, I was able to be dropped off at our Ward Mission Leaders home (the Smith's) and rest while Elder Graham and Buchanan were out and about. I am feeling pretty good now and am excited to get back to proselyting missionary work. It was a very different experience to be not going out and about. Its so different and I am very glad to be back up and out and about. 

Things are wonderful and I am growing and progressing so much.

I hope all is well in your spheres.

Love,

Elder Sumsion

Season 2: Clark Lake. Episode 10: Priorities.‏

Howdy! I don't have a lot of time today like usual, but I will definitely try to write you something of substance. I will ultimately pray and follow what the spirit prompts me to write.

Hugh did not end up getting baptized, but that is all good. He fell back on the Word of Wisdom, but is trying again harder with a new conviction to try harder and do better this time. One of the big things that our mission goes for is conversion before baptism. We don't want to baptize people if they are just going to go inactive or deny the church. As missionaries in the Washington Federal Way Mission it is one of our standards of excellence to help those we teach experience a lasting conversion and endure to the end.

There are most definitely people that we meet and see that we could baptize, but baptism is not the destination we have in mind. Baptism is a gate that everyone has to take on their journey exaltation.

We are helping Hugh experience a true and lasting conversion, and he is making excellent progress in that direction. I want Hugh to endure to the end more than I want a figurative gold star on my chest for getting another baptism on my mission. Currently we have Hugh working towards the goal of March 7th.

The weather is really great! Its been really sunny and shiny the past couple of weeks. I hear that throughout the country that some places are experiencing the worst storms since the 1790's or sometime old like that.

Zone Conference happened recently! If you don't know what that is, imagine a wonderful (not sarcasm. I loved it.) about 7 hour spiritual feast. Our mission president teaches us and we get to talk, role-play, discuss, and be taught by the spirit. I loved it so much! My hands could not keep up with how much I was learning and wanting to remember. Those notes I take give me a great idea of things I can improve on and practice.

One of the great things I was able to take out from it is more ideas and goals about how to improve my prayers.

 

My prayers have improved so much. Not that I didn't like saying them before, but now I really want to! I have such a desire to communicate with my Father in Heaven like no other time before in my life!

 

I would encourage you to study the bible dictionary entry for prayer and Preach My Gospel pages 93-95. The section is entitled "Pray with Faith."

I would love to hear some of your thoughts and things you learned when you get to study it.

 

I love being on a mission. Best decision and thing I have done in my life.

Love,

Elder Sumsion

 

 

Season 2: Clark Lake. Episode 9: Good 'ol Nature

Elder Buchanan really really likes dogs and puppies. There are members in the ward and they just had a whole bunch of Mini Bull-Terrier's (the Target dog) and he was hugging and playing with them for a little bit. On exchanges we went in a home that had two Greyhounds. I have never really seen them in person, but they are definitely running dogs. One of the less active families we visit occasionally has three Lion Head Rabbits (pretty much very fluffy bunnies). We definitely have a lot of interactions with wildlife. There are so many crows in Washington. Every morning while driving around we see bunches of crows surrounding the garbage containers. They sure know how to dumpster dive well because they always seem to find something.

Elder Buchanan told us a story of when one time when he and one his other companions were walking past a pile of garbage where there was a whole bunch of birds pillaging. They then watch as a seagull digs its head down and comes back out with some Raman noodles on its beak. He made the remark of something like "Look at that noble animal." Haha :D

Elder Buchanan is pretty funny. We were walking past some goats who were locked up in someone's fenced off yard and he decided he would try to give one a pass-along card. The goat just took the pass-along card and ate it haha. In the morning there are a whole bunch of birds around our apartment complex, and I discovered one of the most entertaining things. I took some old hamburger buns we had and threw one out into the midst and watched as one crow flew off with the whole thing with many other crows and a couple seagulls followed in hot pursuit.

 

We have a baptism coming up for one of our investigators. It is going to be set on the 21st. His name is Hugh. We have been teaching him for over a month. We actually contacted him right before the one contact I mentioned with the kid who had a Minecraft sword.

Hugh is a little slow in speech, but definitely not in intellect or thought. He has schizophrenia and has a social security income that he lives off of with a little income from work. He has made a lot of sacrifices to come closer to Christ as we have been teaching him. We have taught about everything to him besides the Law of Chastity, some other commandments, and laws and ordinances.

He has been so faithful to the word of wisdom since we taught it to him. The only things he struggled with were coffee and alcohol. When we taught it and asked him if we could take any coffee or alcohol away, he said no and that it was his choice. Later on, maybe 3 weeks later, after he had been living it without going back to using those things we asked him again if we could take it away. This time his response was a lot different. He said something like "Sure, I don't even care about that stuff anymore."

He currently works about 2 hours a day 5 days a week. He works on Sunday and has tried getting it off, but is unable to. He has taken a couple days off and sacrificed making some money to come to church. He is so amazing and has had amazing steps while coming closer to Christ. The ward employment specialist is currently helping him find a new job where he wont be required to work on Sundays. Elder Graham, Buchanan, and I would really appreciate you praying his behalf that he might be able to get Sunday off somehow.

 

I am doing very well. Today marks 2 months of being in the field. I have grown so much then and am so much closer to Christ and of being the fourth missionary. I am grateful for your support and wish you well.

 

One challenge I extended to some members we taught was to read one general conference talk from the last general conference. I would extend that challenge to you as well. Prayerfully approach Heavenly Father and ask him what talk would best benefit you.

Amos 3:7

"Whether by mine own voice or the voice of my servants, it is the same."

Those words are Gods words, and He has a message for you. Find out what He would like to tell you by reading from His words from last General Conference.

 

Love,

Elder Sumsion

 

Season 2: Clark Lake. Episode 8: Grand Days of My Life‏

Howdy and hello!

 

P-day is on Tuesday again because the other half of the Federal Way Mission is going to the temple. Next week it will be Monday.

 

Here is what I have done throughout the days.

 

Tuesday the27th:  At night we visited a recent convert family of almost a year, the Sheaharts. We are helping the family become more Christlike and to help their home be a place of refuge and of love. They have been less active since their baptism and haven't experience a full conversion. Recently with the help of the Senior Sisters in our area and them keeping commitments to pray and read The Book of Mormon everyday together as a family they are making some steady progress and coming back to church. They wanted their homes dedicated so we invited them to fast on Friday so we can have the spirit and a great start to their new dedicated home. We were set to come back on Saturday.

 

Wednesday the 28th: We met with Brother Jamias and his family and taught him the Book of Mormon again. We went in depth and really expanded his horizon on how deep and great the scriptures are. He has a desire and hunger to feast from them.

 

Thursday the 29th: We met with Kevin for the second time. He is a really solid investigator we have. He is very intelligent and very analytical. We taught him The Book of Mormon and he clearly understood the concept of it being the keystone to our religion. He accepted to read it.

 

Friday the 30th: We met with Eddie for the second time as well and taught him about The Book of Mormon. He is black and makes some funny remarks sometimes while we teach and goes on a little tangent. We contacted into him and have only taught him the first lesson. We invited him to read it. We also started to fast after dinner for the Sheaharts.

 

Saturday the 31st: We had many many appointments set up for this day, so we were super excited about it. We literally had appointments of stuff to do for every hour between 11am- 8pm. In our planning the night before I named this day the "Fasting Power Packed Day of Power Appointments."  We ended our fast for the Sheaharts after dinner and was able to go over and dedicate their home. They asked me to dedicate it so I did. The day went well, even though about half of our scheduled things got cancelled or didn't show up haha. It was still a wonderful day despite that trial.

 

Sunday the 1st: The Super Bowl happened. We had a great day and even at the end of the day, President Eaton sent out a voice blast (a voicemail sent to all the missionaries in the whole mission) about how the game is now over and the results come in, that we could use this opportunity to visit some people "Now after this has all been done and over, what is the true meaning of life?" haha.

 

Monday the 2nd: In the morning we all did an awesome service project. We were at a members house and we were clearing out a hedge that had gotten attacked by black berry bush, a weed in the northwestern states. The plant when un kept grows huge and is naturally very very thorny. It was such an adventure to have about 11 or 13 Elders in my zone attack and defend the hedge from the bush. We cleared a path around the hedge. It was lots of work, but awesome and a great adventure. Adventures are out there and there are opportunities to have them every day. You just have to do it.

 

What I listed wasn't everything we did. You sure do a lot as a missionary.

 

Love,

Elder Sumsion