Season 2: Clark Lake. Episode 16: My Best Week So Far

That's a pretty big title and for those who are familiar with me and my use of absolutes, you would probably expect some pretty big things to back that claim up. Its true, in my eyes, experience, and current perspective that I have, this week has been the best week of my mission so far. I will be listing a couple of big things that happened in my eyes, but keep in mind there are also a lot of little things that I have experienced that made it that way as well.

 

My First account starts on MONDAY THE 23rd at approximately 9:10 pm local time when received a phone call...

 A phone from the AP's, otherwise known as the Assistants to the President. 

 

(Did you enjoy my dramatic first introduction?) 

 

They asked if they were good to go on blitz with us on the 24th for approximately two hours and it worked with us so it was set. For those of you who don't know, blitz is when missionary leaders come and work with the missionaries in their area. One missionary goes with one of the leaders and the other missionary goes with the other. If that didn't make sense, hopefully it will make more sense as I tell you what happened. Just know that going on blitz with the assistants isn't very common if you aren't in a leadership position as a missionary.

So at 3:00 pm... local time... we met Elder Erekson and Elder Matthews at our church. I went with Elder Erekson and Elder Buchanan went with Elder Matthews.

I asked Elder Erekson a lot of questions and he gave a lot of good answers. And they weren't annoying questions. Elder Erekson described them as discovery questions where I wasn't looking for a particular answer, but I was honestly wondering what he thought.

We helped a new member of the ward move in and then we visited a member and then we taught a lesson to some former's that were last taught almost a year ago. That is what we did.
Its so hard to describe everything that I loved about that experience. He provided such a great example of how to contact people on the street, teaching people and not lessons, and of charity for others.

It was such a great experience and I felt so wonderful and great after it.

 

Another great experience was the companionship inventory Elder Buchanan and I had. Companionship inventory is a time where you talk to your companion about how your relationship is doing, conflicts that are happening, things to strengthen each other, and various other things (read about it in Preach My Gospel chapter 8, step 13 in weekly planning). Real issues were brought up and we actually talked about things. A lot of things you could say that were just swept under a rug when we found it were brought out into the light and dealt with. After the inventory we were able to work together in much better unity throughout the whole day and in the days following.

 

The last experience I will share was on Friday. We had our interviews with our mission president. My interview was so wonderful. It was (here comes the similes :D)

 like having a glass of water after fasting. Like some nice shade after walking around in the hot sun for a long while. Like discovering the answer to a math problem you had been stumped with for hours. Like receiving reinforcements and supplies after a long and weary battle living off of reserve food and few soldiers. Like going to the temple and walking away feeling recharged and ready to take on the world again.

The interview gave me so much strength and I felt ready take any discouragement or bad things that faced me. We talked about a lot of things that reinforced truths that I knew and shed light on answers I was looking for.

 

I have some more time so here is one more experience (though there still is more :D).

On Monday night before we received that call, we were visiting a less active and investigator. They are teenagers so teaching them is a little bit different than others we usually teach. At one point during the lesson one of the older persons who lived there came in and yelled for a little bit and drove the spirit away. After he left the spirit was gone, but I knew of the things that bring it back. Elder Buchanan and I sang "I am a Child of God" and the spirit was brought back. And because it was brought back, we were able to teach by it. As I spoke the what the spirit was whispering for me to say I spoke "as one with power and authority." It was a very powerful experience for me and I had a realization that that lesson was one of the reasons why I am serving in the Clark Lake Ward in Kent.

 

I had an amazing experience with a talk this morning. I loved it and I received some great revelation from it. I would encourage you to read it. It is by Elder Holland. It is called "For Times of Trouble."

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-holland_times-trouble/

 

Love you all so much. I love serving on a mission. It is the best thing I have ever done.

Elder Sumsion

Season 2: Clark Lake. Episode 15: Success

Here are some letters arranged in words, sentences, and paragraphs.

 

First off, here is this talk from Richard G. Scott that had some awesome correlations with the goal stuff I mentioned last time.

 

"Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge)

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1993/10/acquiring-spiritual-knowledge?lang=eng

 

On the 20th I went on exchanges. I went and served with Elder Green and Elder Takoa in the Scenic Hill area and Elder Thomas (my District Leader) went are served with Elder Buchanan in Clark Lake.

Elder Green is a very awesome dude. I sung in a quartet with him around Christmas time. He sings and has tons of ties! He has 56 haha. Way more ties than I have and any other missionary I have known so far. He has been out just one transfer less than Elder Buchanan.

Elder Takoa has been out the same amount of time on his mission as I have, but he had to learn English in the MTC. He is from Kidibush (Probably not spelt, but its part of Micronesia). He is so cool. He was going to go on a mission sooner, but he actually ran with Husaine Bolt (spelling?) and so went in the same time as me. He is the fastest runner from his whole country. He is a convert and did I mention he is just so awesome? :D Language study was really fun to do and it was a first for me.

I woke up with it just being another day and I didn't even realize it was the 20th until later on in the morning. It was honestly a really good day. Most of the time was spent driving around trying to visit people when they cancelled appointments.

 

I have been learning and having some great realizations about missionary work. Its tough when it is not appointment after appointment (which I have been blessed to have pretty often in Clark Lake), because you do get the feeling that you aren't doing your best. BUT, your best is not measured by numbers or what others do, its measured by what you personally do and try to do.

A very very important thing to do is to learn (and remember) what true success is as a missionary (Preach My Gospel Chapter. 1. The section entitled "A Successful Missionary")

I hope that made sense and didn't seem out of place. Simply put, Success is measured by what you do and what honestly try (and would) do.

 

"Are we not all beggars" by Elder Holland address that last bit if you would like to understand that "what we try (and would).

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/are-we-not-all-beggars?lang=eng

 

Another great mark for me in my life is that today (23rd) marks a year for me of holding the Melchizedek priesthood. I am so very grateful to hold this priesthood and to have the opporotunity to use it to serve, an opportunity to act as Christ would. The priesthood gives a great opporotunity for the worthy holders of it, to exercise it on others behalf's. The priesthood is Gods power and is used to blessed others.

 

 

Love you all!

Have a good week.

Elder Sumsion

Season 2: Clark Lake. Episode 14: Some thoughts on goal setting

I had some of these thoughts and I thought I would like to share it. I am not 100% sure how to cohesively include it into my email, so here it is plugged in.

Recently I have been working on some ways to achieve goals. I have thinking about ways and steps to do it, so with some prayer and inspiration these 5 steps are ways to achieve some of your goals if you are having issues achieving them.

Step 1: Choose a goal or something that you would like to accomplish.

Step 2: Brainstorm ideas about how you can achieve this goal.

Step 3: Plan on what you are actually going to do.

Step 4: Do what you actually planned.

Step 5: Review how you are doing with your plan and make new plans to do better.

Its a continual process where you review and try to do better. I don't know if it will work for you, but feel free to try it out.

I also have this great talk by Richard G. Scott that goes along with goal setting, but I can remember the reference. I will send that out next week.

This week has been pretty swell. Still adjusting to being in a companionship and being without Elder Graham.

Yesterday was a mission devotional. That was super nice. They showed the video "Because He Lives." I didn't get to see it because I was sitting up in the choir stands, but I heard the nice music a long with it. I really do love these media initiatives the church is having.

Recently we went over and taught some members about charity. We shared the story of The Red Coat. We watched that video. That video always touches me so deeply and I teared up as I talked about it. I love it so much and would encourage you to check it out. I hope that it can inspire you to do one charitable thing throughout the week. You don't need to be 18 years old and on a mission or and adult doing service to do good things. You can do it no matter how old or young you are.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/collection/kids/the-coat-1

I don't have lots more time left to write today, but I would like to share a super powerful video I just watched.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/his-grace/pornography-addiction-is-there-hope?cid=HPWE031115754 

Its called

 Pornography Addiction: Is There Hope?

Love you all,

Elder Sumsion

Season 2: Clark Lake. Episode 13: More Sunshine is nice‏

I never fully appreciated the sun as much as I do now. I have such a new great appreciation for it. It has been super bright and sunshiny these past weeks. I am grateful that I have an appreciation for the sun and the rain. Great combos when you are living in Washington :D

I don't have lots of time today, so this will be shorter. I would like you to think about what I say today, as it will be less. Kind of like when you have a really nice piece of candy, instead of just swallowing it whole, let it sit and savor it for a little while.

I had a great experience with Bob on Sunday. We went by and visited him because he didn't make it to church. We came to find out that he didn't make it because he was out with his family very very late (6 am) the night before. When we spoke to him he had not much sleep at all and was exhausted.

As we were speaking and chatting about when we could come back by when he was not so tired, I felt prompted to ask him if he had taken or had any coffee to help him stay awake and he said he hadn't.

I asked him if he would normally have some coffee if he was this tired (like he was then) and he said he would usually take it to help him stay awake.

I asked him why he didn't have any. He said he didn't want to have any. He didn't really have the desire to drink coffee. He had that goal of becoming a member of the church and he was set on it.

That was so amazing and inspirational to me that a man who wants to progress in the gospel and to join the church would overcome his natural desires and actually start to change. This man is literally changing into a better person and I was filled with an amazing love for him as he tried to overcome the "natural man" (Mosiah 3:16) inside of him.

I would encourage you all to seek after this change of nature over behavior. If you truly want to, read Ether 12:27 to start you on that process. Prayerfully make goals, and then plans (to achieve your goals).

Love,

Elder Sumsion

Season 2: Clark Lake. Episode 12: Bad things, Good Results.‏

Haha I feel like I would see that title that I made for this email be on a John Bytheway book :D

 

I would like to share some recent experiences that have happened to me.

 

Hugh dropped us this week. If you don't know that what that means, it means that he no longer wishes to visit with us or investigate the church. During the week on Wednesday I believe we were calling Hugh to see if he would be able to come to a members house for an appointment we had. I was assigned to make that call. It was during the call that it happened. As I talked to him he passed the phone to his therapist. As we talked she relayed to me that he doesn't want us to visit him any more and that he cant afford to be a member of our church. We talked to Hugh and he supported what the therapist had told us.

While I was taking that phone call I realized that something was definitely up. I thought of that possibility of him dropping us. As I listened I realized I was the person to talk and speak by the spirit and say whatever the Lord would have me say. I was also the person to relay the information that I was getting to my companions. I prayed and asked for help that I would be able to do those things with grace, patience, and that I would be able to understand and relay the information to my companions in a patient manner.

I tried and did my best in the call.

And I was able to patiently and lovingly relay that information to my companions. I am grateful for an answered prayer and that as I have been on a mission I have been able to change and handle situations. I am also grateful for my preparation that I had for my mission. I am much more able to handle stresses and using the phone after working at Vivint last summer. As I have served my mission I am able to be better qualified to do the work I need to do. I would encourage you to study D&C 4:5 and D&C 11:32-24, 30.

Another experience is concerning the dishes. Elder Buchanan loads the dishes in a certain way that really bothered me. I would ask him to not do it for this and that reason. I didn't chew him out or yell at him because of the way he did it, but it did annoy me. During the week I opened the dishes to see that Elder Buchanan had loaded them in that certain way again, but I wasn't annoyed. It didn't matter to me anymore that he did it that way.

Before I would have talked to him, but this time it didn't matter to me at all. As I have grown and become more Christ-like my very nature has changed and I have, and still am, becoming a "new creature in Christ."

I hope that makes sense and that you understand.

 

Transfers are today and Elder Graham is leaving us. Elder Buchanan and I will stay in Clark Lake. Its going to be very different with Elder Graham being gone. He is my trainer and has helped me through my first 12 weeks of my mission. Even though I was disagree and be grumpy to him, he would still love and serve me. He has sacrificed a lot and I am grateful for him. Because of Elder Graham my mission is that much better. He is a wonderful example of obedience and I wish him well.

(The great thing though is I still get to see him at least twice a month for the rest of my mission :D Every month there is a mission devotional put on by the missionaries and a missionary choir sings at it. And the other time is once a month during a P-day we get to practice all together)

 

Love you all, and thank you for your support.

 

Elder Sumsion