Season 6: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 3:Heavenly Father Loves Us Individually

I am not sure what to write about today, so here comes a flow of thought, and the thoughts that proceed thereof I am not sure as to what they will relay.

 

We had that lesson on Monday with Brother and Sister Loftus at the mission home with President and Sister Eaton. It was very wonderful! We focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ which was really wonderful and we really focused on faith on acting and reading The Book of Mormon. I love as well how just natural things are for President Eaton just in talking about baptism and what it does. One thing I always love during a lesson is pointing out and identifying the spirit. It is always so important to do that because it is by the spirit that the Loftus', Elder Sumsion, President Eaton, or anyone else that people are taught the things which Heavenly Father would have them know. We need to help others identify the spirit because it is not a thing that they are used to or know what to call it.

If there is anything that I have grown in on my mission is on identifying the spirit and how it speaks to me. By serving, praying, and looking for constantly I am recognizing so much more of Gods tender mercies in my life. I know He loves me and I only forget it when I cease to recognize His hands in all things.

Some very special tender mercies for me which I couldn't help thanking Him for was companionship inventory and exchanges for the Zone Leaders. Companionship inventory was so swell because it was a time where we were open and honest with each other which helped me understand a lot more where Elder Meads is at and help Elder Meads recognize where I am at and why I do the things that I do. Things are going so great! It can be very discouraging if you focus on all the little or bad things, but when I take a moment to count my MANY blessings and its almost natural to smile and be happy. I am in nowise perfect at counting my blessings and smiling all the time, but I know that when I do I am literally more happy than I would be otherwise and I know the same is true for you as well. How can you be discontented with all that you don't have when you count what you do have?

 

( If you cant tell, I am a huge fan of optimism. And so is Elder Holland

 

“I’m eternally optimistic. For me the glass isn’t just half full, it’s flowing over the top. A Scout is cheerful. These are sobering moments, but we’ll work our way through whatever difficulties come. Good will prevail; truth will triumph and bless the lives of young men in generations to come.”

 

:D )

 

For exchanges I organized this one because I am the District Leader and throughout the process of deciding when and what the focus will be I definitely felt the spirit and was guided by the spirit in it. The focus was on contacting and boy did it do good! We did a lot of hard work, but it really helped me. I will give two analogy's to explain how it helped me contact.

 

1) For those of you who have played the Portal 2 campaign there is a time where you are trying to put the faulty turret in the master turret spot so all of the faulty robots are saved and all of the functioning ones are thrown away. I would say over time, my master copy of contacting and what a good one is has gone faulty, so all of my actual contacting was faulty as well. Exchanges helped me take out that faulty copy and put in a brand new functioning and beautiful turret. If that didn't make sense to most of you, that is okay. (P.S. The creator of the story of Portal lives in my area and members are working on inviting him to meet with the missionaries :D)

 

2) If you watch someone who has bad technique in basketball, that's all you will ever know and aspire to be. You wont shoot as strong, or wait just one more moment, or think ahead, etc. You will develop the bad habits and things that the person you watched did. On the other hand, if you see someone who is a professional who does all the right things, you will come to fill their shoes one day and be just like them. In contacting, Elder Willardsen was a great and wonderful example of how to contact and I learned so many things from him.

 

Simplified, I learned a lot on exchanges about to become a better missionary (especially in contacting) and how to be more like Christ. I loved it and it was definitely something I needed.

 

Hope all that I said today made sense. It is all going super wonderful and I hope you have a wonderful, fantastic, positive, half-full, sunshiny week!

Elder Sumsion

 

Season 6: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 2: "True Doctrine Understood... Changes Behavior."

This week has been one of the longer weeks that I have experienced on my mission.

 

Training is really a tough thing to do, but the Lord doesn't give you challenges that you cant handle (1 Nephi 3:7). 

 

If we take a moment to just think about that logically, we know that Heavenly Father knows everything so therefore He knows what you can and can not handle. Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to grow so He allows challenges to come our way that will help us grow and we become a little "uncomfortable" (because there is no growth in a comfort zone and no comfort in a growth zone). He knows and loves us and can help us through anything, so " if we allowed them too, these trials would perfect and purify us rather than defeat us." As we rely on Christ through hard things, because the mists of darkness and the mocking and pointing come to all of us (1 Nephi 8), we will come out of these things more like Christ. Repentance is real and if you have enough faith (one of my favorite definitions of faith is "a strong belief that motivates us to do something") in Jesus Christ, you will change. Even if you are only praying for that desire to change, it will happen to you (see Alma 32). Through Jesus Christ's Atonement you can change and when we change we make promises or covenants to receive a fullness of forgiveness. From that point on you are to continue to renew those covenants with Heavenly Father every single week, so that the Holy Ghost can "always be with us" and guide us to live in an increasingly rewarding pattern of life. Life in this world and in the world come. Those blessings only come as we obey (see D&C 130:20-21). Having faith in Christ, repenting, making and renewing covenants we have made, and being guided the Holy Ghost is an increasingly rewarding pattern of living and you can experience those blessing today and in the future.

 

We stopped by the Loftus' this week with a baptismal calendar to figure out some of the logistical things for baptism so both us and they were on the same page. During the appointment as we figured out some more of the logistical things Sister Loftus wasn't very comfitorble with us coming by more than once a week because she feels that she needs to learn and absorb all that we are talking about. So the baptismal date was dropped and we are now going to be meeting with them once a week. Its not that Sister Loftus is dropping us or less interested, she is really sincere and wants to absorb everything and from her understanding now it will take longer for her to develop all of the knowledge and things she needs to know before she gets baptized.

It was a little disheartening for me because I sincerely want to help her begin to experience and feel the difference that the gospel is making in my life and with the drop of the date and the once a week meet it will take longer to help her experience those blessings to a fullness. She can begin to experience them as she learns, but its as we exercise our faith on those promptings and knowledge that we receive that we are blessed with me. Don't get me wrong, its still great and wonderful and she is still very interested, it is just hard because I want to help the whole family experience those blessings now.

Great news though is that the other day on Friday, our mission president sent out news that he would be opening up his home to have a lesson or family home evening with an investigator to all of the missionaries in the area and Elder Meads and I got first dibs on that. Its all set up now so that tonight at 7:30 pm we are having a FHE/lesson with Brother and Sister Loftus with our Mission President and his wife. :D It should be absolutely wonderful. We are going to be talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful opportunity for the Loftus'.

I have been taught a lot by the spirit about how I can better fulfill my role and assignment as a Trainer and District Leader. Training is hard, but the Lord is helping me through it all. I appreciate your support and love.

Love,

Elder Sumsion

Season 6: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 1: Perspective

Me and Elder Duncan. I love this Elder so much. He is fantastic!

Me and Elder Meads. He isn't that tall, but he is still taller than me.

​I am sure one certain person got real livid when he saw that title :D

 

Wow what a week. Man, so much crazy stress. But the good kind. That kind that motivates you to continue going, to press foreword, and to better.

I had a lot of great personal experiences which have helped me to grow so much. I am so very grateful for all the opportunities that I have had and for the opportunities that will continue to come.

 

To report a little about my first district meeting, and it went great! The scale I am judging it is by if the spirit was present or not (because that is what truly matters). If I were to change my perspective (:D) to judge it by how eloquent I was, how well it turned out, etc then it didn't go very well. During district meeting I was really worried about how I was doing and putting myself down because I was really focusing on those type of things. Then I recognized I was being very selfish about the way I was focusing on how I was doing, and not focusing on how the district was. I think I was really focused on myself and not truly motivated by a desire to help me district out and to help them receive revelation. That was a powerful reminder of things I learned in the MTC and it drove the lesson further. After that realization, I focused more on my district and their needs and I still wasn't the most eloquent, but the spirit was present. (Sorry that paragraph may have just been all over the place.)

 

Training is a really great opportunity and experience and I love it so much. The combination of district leading and that is a good stress, so it is easy to be overwhelmed. But you need not be if you rely on The Lord and choose not to. One intense thing about training a missionary is that basically the things that you do, they will do. The habits (good or bad) they will develop. For example if you sleep in, they will most likely sleep in as well. If you only call missionaries by their last names, they will probably too. If you hang out with members, they will too. That realization that I will be a missionary that establishes habits for another was, has really changed that way I look at myself and my obedience and I am striving to be more and more obedient! It reminds me of the country song "Watching You." You should take a listen, I appreciate it very much. (One other country song I have come to love also is "Unanswered Prayers." Its so good :D I really do love things that teach strong moral lesson that I can apply to myself.)

 

Elder Meads is who I am training for the meantime. He is a visa waiter for the Belgium Netherlands Mission. He is from Salem, Utah and is learning to speak Dutch. So along with the 1 hour of personal study and 1 hour of companion study each day, we also get 1 hour for training and 1 hour of language study. He should be getting his visa pretty soon, so he may end up leaving in the next couple of weeks, or at the end of the transfer. He is very wonderful and I am striving to become more Christlike so I can better serve him. He is already teaching me so many lessons which I am so ever grateful for.

 

Sister Loftus' is going great. She had a concern about not being ready by August 1st, so we resolved her concerns and committed her to August 8th. That should be wonderful. We are going by tonight to work out some specific plans on how to best help her progress towards baptism.

 

One special experience happened on Saturday/Sunday. We were riding around in a neighbor hood and we stopped by a single sisters home to see if there was anything we could do for her, and she said we could come by and teach her children a lesson about the gospel because they were having a bad influence in their lives which is threatening their testimonies. When we came by on Sunday, she shared her side of what happened. She had been thinking about how to help her children and what she could do and thought about us coming by, and right then we knocked on the door! It was a tender mercy for her which I am ever so grateful that Elder Meads and I were able to be tools in the Lords hand in blessing her life.

 

Mission is wonderful and I am having some real great growth! Love you all!

 

Elder Sumsion

 

Season 3: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 12: Proverbs 3:5

After this email I will now be labeling the "seasons" according to what transfer I am on (a total of 17) and my "episodes" will be by which week in the transfer I am in.

So this email would be labled "Season 5: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 6: Proverbs 3:5"

I might as well of made it official instead of just doing it haha. I guess that was for those who care.

Anyway this week has been wonderfully fantastic! On Monday night we went by to the Loftus', a part member family, and taught Sister Loftus the restoration. She has accepted the invitation of baptism and we are helping her prepare for baptism! It was so wonderful! When we asked her she said "Yes. That's something that I want." We went by yesterday and had a powerful lesson about The Book of Mormon. Brother Loftus is going to prepare to baptize her which is fantastic! Things are going great on that end and I am so excited that we are able to fulfill our purpose and prepare her to show and exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent, make sacred covenants with Heavenly Father and to do that for the rest of her life.

On the 4th of July in this mission we treat just like any other day of proselyting and so Elder Wagstaff and I were out talking to people. It was a tough because it seemed no was accepting our invitations and I was getting a little discouraged, disappointed, and frustrated. I didn't want to talk to anymore and I was being very selfish and prideful. As we were biking there was another man afar of in his driveway and I decided I would humble myself and submit my will so I could talk to this man. In talking to this guy Elder Wagstaff and I were able to sit down right there with him and teach him the restoration. That was a wonderful experience for me because Heavenly Father blessed us to find him just when I needed it most. It was most definitely a tender mercy of the Lord.

Transfers are happening today and Elder Wagstaff is leaving Maple Valley. It has been wonderful walking on the trail next to Lake Wilderness with him and I will miss him very much.

Yesterday I received a call from the Assistants to the President and I received word that I am going to be a District Leader Trainer this transfer! That is so intense for me with it both being a first. It could be very overwhelming, but it all depends on how you look at it. I know that President and in turn the Lord have called me to do this and because of that, I know that I can do it. A lot of change and growth is coming to me this transfer. "The Lord doesn't call qualified people, He qualifies those He calls." I am most certaintly the un-qualified, but through a lot of repentance I can become what the Lord wants me to be.

Love you all so much!

Have a wonderful week. Its the half year mark so if you aren't doing well on your new years resolutions now is the time to reevaluate them and recommit. ;D

Elder Sumsion

Pics from Senior Missionaries Brother and Sister Young

Season 3: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 11: A Solid Week.

Me with the puppy "Lucy"

My nametag after we did that service of helping make that bench

Us after doing service. The other two are the Lake Lucerne Elders. They have been helping us out a lot whenever we have gone over. Also don't you just love my watch tan :D

Things are going really great. It was a lot slower than last week number wise, but it still felt really intense.  Here is a thing for each day of the week.

 

Monday: I downloaded the first three episodes of "Two Brothers Two" on my flash drive and Elder Wagstaff and I watched them. We were glued to the screen while watching them. It was so funny, but it was good quality time watching those together. Really funny. We are going to go on a marathon today during P-Day and try to watch the other 5.

 

Tuesday: Elder Wagstaff and I were biking on the trail next to Lake Wilderness and there was some commotion going on next to a beach park with ambulances n' stuff. We stopped and watched what had turned out asking various peoples what happened. We found out later that a young man did loose his life. It was a very reflective time for me and I thought about what happens after death and how what I am doing as a missionary fits into all of this. I received some great revelation and confirmations as a result of that pondering.

 

Wednesday: We did some great service for Brother Loftuss in the Lake Wilderness ward. We helped make cement and pour it into a large retaining wall/bench he is making for his fire pit. We are actually going by tonight to teach his wife who is a non-member. We are excited :D

 

Thursday: We went and did some more service for a sister in Glacier Park. She had just gotten a new puppy and we took some picture with it. It is a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard dog. It is a very nice breed.

 

Friday: We had an open evening and Elder Wagstaff felt inspired to drop by a less active and we did and it was just what the person we visited needed! It was such an inspired drop by. We are going back this Thursday with a couple of ward members to give him a blessing.

 

Saturday: We went on exchanges with the office Elders again. Sorry I don't have a lot of time to cover everything. It was a really great day though and we helped someone move out of our apartment complex. Elder Allen, I, and an R.M. were the ones in the U-Haul organizing and getting it compact. It was really warm inside that van. Brother Thompson put it this way when came up to help move. "Now I am going to go play Tetris in a 300 degree oven." Haha.

 

Sunday: I traveled to Graham for the mission devotional there with the Office Elders. That was a really great experience. I really felt the Lord strengthen me and the choir as we were singing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer."

While I was doing that Elder Wagstaff was with Elder Gonzalez and they were doing missionary work in our areas. At one point while they were traveling they saw a group of teenagers. Teenagers usually aren't very friendly and usually tell any missionary's the saying  "Smoke meth, hail satan" (I don't understand it either. Kids these days ;D). As they came closer they saw that they were smoking and that there was a young woman who was indecent. As soon as they discerned what was going on, Elder Wagstaff turned right around and started to walk in the other direction.

That is such a great modern day example to me right there of a disciple of Christ doing as Joseph of Egypt did and turning tail to temptation and sin and running the other direction. Even when the teenagers started to yell "come back!" they still didn't even turn around. The world is really crazy. Please choose good friends.

 

A mission is a really great experience wherever you serve. Its personalized to you and the goal is really to change and put yourself on the path of helping to become a progressing disciple, constantly striving to become more like Christ.

 

Love you all so much. Thanks for your support and love!

Season 3: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 10: 1 Tim. 4:12

I think maybe one of these days I just got to send out a sad photo or something to mix it up.

Elder Wagstaff and I preparing for the day.

This week has been fantastic!

Our numbers this week have been significantly higher than all of our other weeks! We have taught our new investigators and they are progressing now. Its not the numbers that I am focusing on though, because they are a byproduct of what is actually happening which is the work of salvation!

Happy Fathers day to all you fathers and potential fathers! Yesterday at church we wished one of the members a happy fathers day and he came up and told us "We're born to be fathers and husbands, but not in that order." That cracked me up :D

We have been able to teach Alex and our others investigators. While things are happening with Em and Victoria, I would like to focus today on Alex.

To be really brief because I don't have a whole bunch of time I will talk about Alex's experience at church yesterday. Dont let it get you down or change your perspective because things are going great and he is progressing. We have taught him and done a lot of service with him. Things are going great. He is praying and reading The Book of Mormon every day which is essential and great. The Book of Mormon will be essential in his conversion which he is doing.

Yesterday at church, Alex due to other things, was only able to stay for sacrament. During sacrament meeting Alex asked me about if it was common for members to be playing Angry Birds or messing around on their devices during the meeting.

Late in the evening we had a lesson with him and that's one thing that really perturbed him. He mentioned how when he attended a baptist and a catholic service and the people were a lot more respectful and engaged during it. Elder Wagstaff, I, and the returned missionary who came with us testified and talked about certain things to resolve that concern, but in the end it seemed to be a big deal for Alex.

Now I am not saying this is going to end up being a big thing, but I know that despite any challenges that come up if he has a testimony if The Book of Mormon, everything will be alright.

Just a little word about examples.

There is a lot about our examples that affect people. Our example behind and in front of closed doors really do matter. There is so much that goes on under the hood with our examples that we don't understand.

Prophets and Apostles are watchmen on the tower who warn us of trouble and things to wary of. Elder Oaks during the last general conference gave a very bold prophetic warning.

 "If the emblems of the sacrament are being passed and you are texting or whispering or playing video games or doing anything else to deny yourself essential spiritual food, you are severing your spiritual roots and moving yourself toward stony ground. You are making yourself vulnerable to withering away when you encounter tribulation like isolation, intimidation, or ridicule. And that applies to adults also."

In that he only warned of some of the specific consequences of doing that. There are more consequences to things that we do. What we choose to do has an affect on those around us. Part of Alex's negative experience at church could have been avoided if members of the church heeded the prophets warnings and advice.

Of course these examples that Alex experienced is not the whole church. Elder Bednar said  

"I believe [they were] wrong to judge the validity of our Church’s claim to divine authority by the shortcomings of the men with whom he associated in our ward. But embedded in his question to me was a correct assumption that [members of the church] should be different from other men."

My challenge and invitation to you is to "[B]e thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity, [and in sacrament meeting]."

With love,

Elder Sumsion

Referenced:

Elder Oak's Talk

 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/the-parable-of-the-sower?lang=eng

Elder Bednars Talk

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-powers-of-heaven?lang=eng&query=dad