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| Farewell selfie this morning with Elder Cardin on the roof of our apartment building. |
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The District this transfer. From left, Sisters Beck, Stevenson, Livingstone, Tayco, Elders Sumsion, Perkins, Northrup, and Cardin. |
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Pictures with the Stephens at Coulon Park. These members are so kind. They took us out to eat on P-day last week. |
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| Picture of Lake Washington from Coulon Park. The area that is in the middle of the horizon is Skway B area/South Seattle/Columbia City. On the left end is actual Skyway. On the Right is Mercer Island. |
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Picture of Lake Washington from Coulon Park
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This week has be excellent as always! We have truly been blessed with a multitude of miracles and blessings. God is good and I am grateful for the opportunity to share with you some of the things that have happened.
In another neighborhood that we received a subtle impression to go rescuing in we knocked on the door of Mia. Mia is a mother who grew up Catholic. She isnt very active in the church now, but still believes... sometimes. She wasnt very interested at the start of our conversation. We tracted into her, taught her on the spot the restoration, and ended with the invitation for us to come by and share more. We said "The worst thing that would happen is we come by for 15 minutes and waste your time, but the best thing is that it would change eternity for you and your family."
She asked "Only 15 minutes? Can we do it now?"
We had the opportunity to sit down and teach her about how to recognize the Spirit and she ended with a prayer. By the end of the experience she was much more open and let us come back on Monday/yesterday. She hasnt received her answer yet about Joseph Smith, but she is still praying and committed yesterday to read the Book of Mormon. She is awesome!
An update on Tierra on her family is that we finally got to sit down and visit with her on Saturday. We brought the Senior Sisters in the ward and it was just an amazing visit. Tierra has had tons of amazing experiences in her life and has definitely seen the hand of the Lord in it. Elder Cardin describes her and other people who are prepared to receive the gospel as "over done." Doctrine and Covenants section 4 says "The field is white already to harvest" and these individuals we are blessed to be working with are very ready to receive it!
The Shepherds are individuals who we are still working with. Sister Shepherd was very hesitant to meet with us weekly in a lesson setting and so we have had to push for another lesson every time. We came to find out that the reason she didnt want to meet with us often was because she didnt understand why were coming by as missionaries. That is a bad on our part because we hadnt set the expectations very well with them. We met with them yesterday and explained that we are guides as missionaries to help them get to the spiritual destination of receiving and acting on the revelation of this church being Gods church. It was pretty awesome because as soon as she understood more of what our purpose was as missionaries (she thought we just came by to answer questions), she was motivated more to meet with us weekly. She committed to coming to church on Sunday :)
One last amazing experience that God blessed us with was with Michael and Phyllis. A week ago on Sunday night we talked to Phyllis to find out that they were not interested in meeting with us anymore or studying. We bore testimony and asked just for one last time to meet with her and Michael on Wednesday. That Sunday night I could feel my heart breaking just a little bit, but we prayed and exercised faith and the lesson on Wednesday went great.
We brought Sister Kemp the Relief Society President with us and let her know what was happening with this lesson. She understood that this lesson was pivotal. We went in and Michael was expressing that he didnt want to study anymore and he wouldnt even let us share a scripture or pray with him. I didnt know what to say and my heart was just breaking after all the service and potential they had.
Then when Phyllis and Sister Kemp met they looked familiar and then we had the most amazing "its a small world moment" I have ever had. Long story short, Sister Kemp is very very good friends with Michaels mom and knew Michael and Phyllis when they were teenagers. This reunion totally brought that Spirit as Sister Kemp boldly told Michael "You are not stopping these studies, you are going to continue to meet with them." The Spirit was so strong and they had a come 180 degree turn around. He said that he isnt going to stop studying. This experience was just so amazing. I wish I could go into more detail, but suffice it to say Heavenly Father is the perfect Orchestra-tor of life.
Those are some of the tender mercies we have experienced :)
Lastly transfers are today. Elder Cardin is going to be transferred out of zone leaving me here in Skyway B likely for the rest of my mission. As a result of him being transferred and of 17 new missionaries coming into the mission, I was basically expecting to be training my last two transfers. I was expecting a call yesterday to train, but it didnt come. Then later on in the evening I come to find out that basically everyone in the zone will be training and I felt bad that I was being blessed with this opportunity. I felt this pride of "Why didnt I get this honor and why did others?"
Its been an amazing experience for me reflecting and developing a deeper testimony that there is a perfect plan as to why I am not training. I dont know it all, but I do know that Heavenly Fathers plan is way better than mine ever could be. As I have been studying humility and praying for it, I have been blessed to more deeply recognize that I need to be more submissive to His plan. "I'll go where you want me to go" is what we should be saying rather than "I'll go if its where I want to go."
This morning as I was recording some thoughts on humility, I recognized that I need to be more like the pen I am writing with. It doesnt say "use me only for journal writing" or "I am only available to be used after 6pm." Nope, the pen is completely humble to everything I will it to do. I am willing to do whatever the Lord needs me to do while I am serving on my mission (and afterwards of course). Its not so much about what you do on your mission, but its about your heart and if you willingly do all that you are asked (or not asked) to do.
Elder Richards is my companion this coming transfer! I have already spent some time teaching with him when we would teach Gin in Skyway A with Elder Jiao. Now I get the opportunity to be with him full-time for which I am so excited. I love that Elder so much already and I look forward to the coming month with him.
Love you all!
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"Search the Book of Mormon and the words of the living prophets every day, every day, every day! It’s the key to spiritual survival and avoiding deception. Without it, we are spiritually lost." -Elder Kevin W. Pearson
Sincerely,
Elder Sumsion
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