Season 9:North Tapps. Episode 3: Gratefulness.

This was at the Thanksgiving activities. On the left side to the right we have me, Elder Raps (who is currently serving in Glacier Park/Lake Wilderness), Elder Moon, Elder Patchet, Elder Ryan Nelson, and Elder Nelson my companion. We were at one point playing a card game called "Exploding Kittens."

I had an adventure this week and I made steak. It was a exciting experience! I had never really done something like it, just mainly watched my mom do it. They turned out pretty great. 

This is Lake Tapps on thanksgiving morning while we were driving to the activities.

Sorry I don't have tons of time again for this email. This week we found 2 new investigators and got them committed to baptism on December 26th. We aren't sure of their commitment thought because one of them, Wyatt, said he would come to a baptismal service and to church, but didn't make it to either. They are both YSA age so eventually we will transfer them to those Elders (which is my trainer and my missionary brother :)).

We are still trying to have another lesson with Martha and Aida and are working with them. She gets pretty busy so its tough to schedule things.

On Thanksgiving we were able to gather as a half of a mission and play some games. There was Basketball, Volleyball, board games, and a couple of other things going on. It was for 3 hours and its the only time in the year where we get to do something like that. It was really fun to play board games! I really do love to play them and to be with other people.

My simple invitation to you is to not only express your thanks to other people on Thanksgiving, but to do it every day of the year! Most importantly express your thanks to God. Just as Elder Bednar invites us have prayers with Heavenly Father where we thank Him, I invite you to do the same. Have a prayer and only express gratitude to Him, and then afterwards record what you are thankful for and His tender mercies in your journal! It will help you be happier and more grateful for what you have

Love,

Elder Sumsion

Season 9: North Tapps. Episode 2:Being Busy.

The Lake behind me is part of Lake Tapps and in the background is Mount Rainier. Pictures dont really give you the full depth of field for it. This is probably the best one I got of it so far though. This picture was taken in North Lake Tapps park.

This is Elder Nelson! We went on exchanges! He is from Canada and lives about 3 hours from the mission. He is a great missionary and we sung a lot on exchanges.

As a missionary your free time is already pretty limited, but it gets even more limited when you are serving in leadership. Now leadership isn't something that rises you above others, it simply gives you more opportunities to serve and sacrifice. That requires time, but you are blessed for the sacrifice.

I don't have much time today. Sorry about that! 

We went on what we call a "blits" this week with the Elders in Clarks Creek Ward. We spent about 2 hours and 30 minutes with them. I went with Elder Meyer while Elder Nelson went with Elder Chance and we both worked in their area/ward. This was Elder Meyer's second week of being in the mission and it was great to learn from him. He is great at being very personable and "real" with everyone that he talked to. At the very beginning of it we couldn't find the house we were looking for, so we walked around for a little bit longer and an amazing experience happened! 

While we were getting into the car a Hispanic man pulled up next to us in a car and asked "Are you the missionaries?" We responded affirmative and he pulled over, then we started talking. His name was Oscar and he said that he got baptized 6 years ago and hasn't gone to church for a little while, but that he wants to come back to church and for his daughter to get baptized! It was so cool to have something like that happen where we could be in the right place at the right time! Heavenly Father will certainly direct your paths if you are trying to do what He asks!

That"s all I have time for.

Have a great week!

Elder Sumsion

Season 9: North Tapps. Episode 1: Starting Up

This is Elder Nelson and I at transfers (with Elder Odell sneaking behind :D)

It was raining all day on Saturday and then it was snowing pretty hard on Sunday morning! This is the first time that I have been with snow since I left Utah last November. It was all melted probably by 1, but it was really cool to see! This view is just right outside our apartment.

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been a very nice one! I have enjoyed it and I am glad to be with Elder Nelson! I am in the North Tapps ward which is basically around the the city of Sumner, Bonney Lake, Lake Tapps, and a little bit of Auburn. The ward is basically all trees and scattered houses in-between. We have a car which has been really helpful! I am grateful to be in one especially since winter is in the midst of things and it rains more and more. Elder Nelson and I were especially feeling for all the missionaries on bike on Saturday because it was raining literally the whole day! And it wasnt a light rain, it was pouring at some points.

This ward is actually brand new! Its about 3 months old and there wasnt a lot of work done in the ward beforehand, so Elder Nelson and I are basically building up the ward and the work here. We have some great starts though! Martha is 8 years old and we have had a couple of lessons with her. She came to a 8 year olds baptism and it has been in the works of teaching her and her mom. We are just starting to teach her which is great. We are going to start teaching her mom to tomorrow! They both came to church on Sunday for all 3 hours and it seems she really likes it! We are so grateful to have the opportunity to teach them!

I am all out of time for today, but I am doing very well and I am happy! The work is good and I am growing (which means I am out of my comfort zone)!

Love you all!

Elder Sumsion

Season 8: Glacier Park/Lake Wilderness. Episode 6: The Glacier Wilderness Finale

This was just before Tatiana's and Andrei's baptism! Andrei is the one in the front, then Tatiana, then Brother and Sister Gustin behind them.

This is the District that I was over this transfer. Starting from the left is Elder Lowry and Elder Drake (Lake Lucerne Ward), Elder Sumsion and Elder Jackson, Sister Orr, Sister Loeak, Sister Stewart, and Sister Davis. (Sister Orr and Stewart are over the Rock Creek and Green Valley YSA Wards. Sister Davis and Loeak are over the Cedar River Ward.)

Every week for the time that I have been here, we have gone and played basketball together most mornings. Starting on left by heads, Elder Lowry, Elder Green, Elder Drake, Elder Sumsion, Elder Jackson, and then Elder Moon. (You cant get that thumb down, eh?)

Howdy!  There is a lot of news/changes going on! I will do my best to update you.

Andrei's and Tatiana's baptism and confirmation happened on Sunday! It was so wonderful. I am so grateful for that opportunity to help facilitate the spirit in helping with their conversion to the gospel. She is definitely set for going to the temple in a year. I am so excited to see their progress. Also we found out that her husband is actually a less-active member so in a year they could all be sealed together as well which would be so amazing and the best! Families being sealed together forever for time and all eternity is an essential step for them receiving a fullness of eternal life. We are getting her connected up with family history and she should be going to the temple soon to do baptisms.

I found out that I am being transferred today. I am going to be leaving Maple Valley after about 7 months of being here. It has been a wonderful growth opportunity for me and I have grown so much as I have been here with my different companions. Elder Jackson is staying here and his new companion will be Elder Davis. They are going to be doing great things and baptizing!

I am going to be transferred to Puyallup (pronounced pew-all-up) into the North Tapps ward. My companion is going to be Elder Nelson! He was my companion in the MTC! We are going to be Zone Leaders together just like in the MTC! I am very excited for the opportunity to serve with him again and as well to serve as a Zone Leader. Because of that my limited amount of free time has been minimized even more so that is going to be good to learn how to cope with. I am super excited for this transfer, it is going to be so fantastic! A lot of interesting things will be happening, and after I leave this next area I will be able to say "I did the Puyallup!"

As for other updates in such, Derek did not come to church. We had an appointment on Tuesday, but he was sick so rescheduled. He was asleep for our rescheduled appointment, so we dropped by on Saturday and we were able to talk to him. We invited him to come to the baptism and to come to church, but he chooses not to. He is such an interesting person! He knows that reading the scriptures, coming to church, giving up alcohol, and other stuff will benefit him greatly, but he chooses not to do it. Its almost like you are riding a donkey and instead of taking the bullet train that takes you straight to where you want to go very fast, he chooses to continue riding it through the dark forest maze where he could potentially get lost and die.

I look at that and the answer to all of his problems seem so easy and obvious, but it may not be to him. Perhaps he is scared of something else that we don't know about. We will do our best to help him progress to follow Christ!

I got to go, but I love you so much!

 

Elder Sumsion

 

Season 3: Glacier Park/Lake Wilderness. Episode 5: Episode Happinesss

Since I do name my emails like a TV show, I really could introduce some classy elements in my emails...

On the last episode of Elder Sumsion's Mission:

Elder Jackson and Elder Sumsion have been teaching Tatiana and Andrei, her son, for a little while now and they were progressing towards baptism on November 7th well. Tune in today to find out the exciting details and changes of whats to come!

Nah,. I wont subject you to that ;D

What has happened this past week? Tatiana and Andrei are going to be baptized a little bit later than we planned... meaning, right now due to Veterans dinner and scheduling conflicts we are going to be having their baptism on Sunday the 8th! Thats coming up quickly 6 days from now! Elder Jackson and I are so excited for it! Not because we want a "figurative gold star" on our records for having a baptism, but because two people are choosing to follow Jesus Christ and to change their lives! At the beginning of Preach My Gospel it says "More happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among [Heavenly Father's] Children" (Preach My Gospel First Presidency message). On my mission, I will be sure to tell you that I am happy! Especially when people exercise faith in Christ, repent, are baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost!

Tonight is their baptismal interview, so once we receive that "go" from the Zone Leaders it should be happening. We have been having a good amount of lessons with them and its been such a wonderful opportunity to teach them. I am so grateful that I am blessed to be apart of guiding these two wonderful souls to the tree of life (1 Nephi 8:10-12).

We had a good lesson with someone we have been teaching for a couple weeks. It was such a interesting lesson. We have never had a lesson with the sober version of Derrek, so we hoped that having the lesson at the church would be enough reason to have any alcohol in him. Well, he walked over drinking a beer, so that didnt work out. It was a very interesting lesson/church tour we had with him. Brother Jensen, our Glacier Park Ward Mission Leader, was there with us. We were teaching the Plan of Salvation, but Derrek has a knack to go on tangents occasionally and this last tangent had consumed a lot of the time which we were planning on spending talking about the rest of the Plan of Salvation and baptism. 

Elder Jackson, being the spiritual stallion he is, stopped him and said "I have a question that may seem a little out of place, but I want you to consider it and to pay attention to how you feel." He then invited him to be baptized and after about 20 seconds he said yes!

He committed to prepare for December 12th. He understood that part of him being baptized would need to involve him giving up those things like alcohol and smoking. He agreed with us to helping him take slow steps. We encouraged him to continue reading the scriptures, praying, and as well to come to church. 

We challenged him specifically to come to church and showed him the bench we would be sitting at (it was near the front and the Sacrament table. Investigators have a better experience sitting up closer to the front and them seeing the sacrament and what is going on is a really important step for their conversion). We invited him pretty directly, but he didnt solidly commit and he didnt come to church. We will be talking to him about it this week even more. We also told him before we left to try being sober for our next lesson :D

Things are happening in these wards and I am so grateful to be apart of it.

Love you all so much! I am so happy to hear already about the amazing early Christmas presents that my family and friends are giving me by inviting people to meet with the missionaries! Try it out if you have not. Will you honor your baptismal covenants to share the Gospel?

Love,

Elder Sumsion

Next time on Elder Sumsion's Mission:

Will Elder Sumsion be transferred or will he stay in Maple Valley for a little bit longer? Will Derrek attend church? Find out all these things and more next time on Elder Sumsion's Mission!