Season 7: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 2:Great Progress

Elder Asper is doing really great in progress as a missionary! I am so impressed at the level which he is already at especially in talking to the random people we see all around and on when we knock on doors.

I am pretty sure that when I was on my second week of my mission I would not be as willing as he is to talk to as many people as I invite him to do. Elder Asper has grown a lot (you know, because there is no growth in a comfort zone and no comfort in a growth zone) and I have been giving him lots of opportunities to be uncomfortable. We will be walking and see someone and I ask him "will you contact that person?" and he will go and do it. I don't make him lead out in a contact every single time, but he does it pretty often. I would say about 40% of the time he leads out a contact. We don't have required tracting in our mission, but we do use it as a tool to help find people and fulfill our purpose if there are no people out (you know, because "If we are in the business of saving souls, we have got to go where the souls are." -President Eaton).

Just yesterday we knocked on someone's door and I asked him to lead it out. He wasn't the most coordinated in talking to him or the most eloquent in his words, but he did try and he invited and the man said we could come back! Elder Aspers faith is such an example to me because he prays a lot and he prays for specific things.

I know just like that if we, as members of the church, were praying specifically every day for missionary experiences, we would have them. And then if we opened our mouths and just invited them to learn more by meeting with the missionaries we will be surprised by the results. We don't know who is ready to receive the gospel and it is not our place to judge.

https://www.lds.org/new-era/2015/03/be-a-missionary-now/dont-judge-who-is-ready?lang=eng 

When we invite, whether they accept or not, we are successful. When we don't invite we are not successful. When we try I know counts. That article about not judging is wonderful and I encourage you to prayerfully read it and consider and ask what Heavenly Father would have you do.

We haven't had the chance to teach a whole ton of people this week and its been on the low end as of late, but progress is still being made and we are finding more people who say we can come back.

Had a really great experience yesterday though at church when some less-actives in Glacier Park came to church. So its Sister Sund who is deaf and who I have taught a couple of times. She has a less-active daughter who is Sister Mclain. She is around 50-ish. Last week we talked a little bit to Sister Mclain and she mentioned how she is trying to give up cigarettes. We asked what she has tried, but it hasn't worked out before. We then asked "Well have you ever tried church to help you overcome that addiction?" She really hadn't and we invited her to try it out and she accepted. So this Sunday she came to church and right after Sacrament the Bishop gave her a blessing to help her overcome that addiction and we are going by later this week to follow up and help her some more. She has a desire to go to the temple which is great. I was so grateful that she came to church and that she has a desire to repent and change her life. I know that it is through faith in Jesus Christ we can do hard things after all we can do and that as Sister Mclain strives to repent and renew her covenants through the sacrament, she will feel the spirit more actively involved and helping her in life to receive the blessings of the temple and ultimately eternal life.

 

Things are moving slowly and surely. Have some great days and please do read the article.

 

Sincerely,

Elder Sumsion

Season 7: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 1: *Insert Title*

This is a family that got baptized in the Clark Lake Ward on Saturday and I got to go to the baptism. Elder Buchanan and I found them while we were together and it was wonderful being able to go to a baptism. Its been really long for me, but there should be more sooner and more frequently :D

A 1st night selfie with Elder Asper. Good Stuff :D

Just a silly photo of last Monday when I was in a trio with the Lake Lucerne Elders and we were doing service.

Dear Family and Friends,

 

​I don't have tons of time today, but know that this week has been super duper wonderful.

 

I am a trainer still as mentioned in the last email. I am training Elder Apser an amazing progressing missionary. He sings, teaches simply, and is willing to learn. He is from Salina, Utah and graduated this year. He has a lot of faith. His faith at praying for specific people for us to find and teach works miracles in our area. On Saturday we went out to contact and the first people we talked to asked us what we did and were very open for us coming by when we invited them. We have gotten so many potentials this week and I believe it is in part to Elder Aspers diligence in specifically praying for and asking for people to teach. He is homesick, but is working VERY hard to overcome it.
A great experience was when on Friday we were walking around contacting and we talked to a guy I had been talking to and the missionaries before me for at least 4 and a half months and he had always just been the kind of guy who would let us say hi, but not let us teach him.

Well on Friday, when we invited him if we could come by he accepted! I was so happy and he asked to come by the next day! So many great things going on. On Saturday we came by and taught him and his wife which went really well. Not committed to be baptized, but he is on his way as long as he exercises faith and sincerely asks about our message. As a missionary we promise a lot of things and it takes personal experience and testimony to do that. I cant just tell someone that if they read The Book of Mormon which passion and conviction if I don't do it myself, nor can I promise them that they will receive a witness of its truthfulness if I haven't done that myself.

Those promises are absolute and I know that if you read The Book of Mormon with a  sincere heart and real intent, you will receive an answer. Its a fact. Some people will tell me that they read The Book of Mormon, but didn't receive a witness. Its not because the promise is wrong, but because they didn't meet the promise. God always keeps His promises and if when we meet the requirements we will receive those gifts. In reading The Book of Mormon, we need to be sincere in our asking and searching.

Anyway, I don't have a lot of time left and I don't have a lot of specifics to cover or things to mention. I hope all I wrote made sense, as I don't spend the time I have to review it.

 

Loftus' are doing great. Brother Loftus missed church due to other conflicts, but Sister Loftus came anyway. Things are going on great there and we are really excited for a Family Home Evening lesson we have set up with them tonight at a Members Home. It should go wonderfully and should be a great pivot in her conversion.

 

Work hard.

 "Their-in Lies Happiness" :D

 

Elder Sumsion

 

Season 6: Glacier/Wilderness. Episode 6: Big Changes.

 Me after digging and shoveling dirt for about 3 hours in the rain :D

Brother and Sister Young with Elder Meads and Elder Sumsion

 A selfie on the airport roof with the Office Elders who drove us to the airport

Them trying to get the ticket machine figured out (I really like Elder Green :D)

Dear Family, Friends, and whoever may be reading this,

Things are really very swell and I have had a wonderful last week of the transfer. There are a lot of things I could talk about, but I will focus on 2 or 3 things.

On Sunday Brother and Sister Loftus were able to come to church. Sister Loftus is doing so wonderful in investigating and learning more. We had a lesson earlier in the week and she was a little hesitant about committing to a baptismal date and she told us she would bring it up again when she wanted to do it, but we did commit her pray about it and read Mosiah 18:5-17. At Church she came to gospel principles and that was really swell. I loved it and I am glad we came. After it, I overheard her talking to a member and she said this phrase (which is a VERY VERY HAPPY phrase to hear as a missionary) "When I am baptized _____." Its great to hear. Then later on that same day we had a mission devotional and there was a lot of focus from 4 recent converts testimonies about baptism and accepting the gospel. It was a powerful meeting and when I went to talk to Sister Loftus about how she liked it, she was asking me the question of "So when do you do baptisms? Like every month or...?" She talked about how she would want her family to be there and other details. She still wasn't committing to a date, but she is getting baptized. I wasn't able to relay everything quite how it happened, but it is super happy and great to hear.

Yesterday I traveled with the Office Elders to the Sea-Tac Airport and we dropped off Elder Meads. Elder Meads has changed a lot throughout these past 5 and a half weeks and he really left a much different missionary. He has a lot of great skills especially in talking to people. Usually new missionaries have a problem with talking to people or during lessons, but Elder Meads did not. I was definitely not a perfect trainer for him, but I am grateful that through grace and repentance I was able to be apart of helping him find his road to becoming a fourth missionary (see talk "The Fourth Missionary" by Elder Corbridge).

Concerning transfers, which are happening today, I am staying in Glacier Park and Lake Wilderness' wards which will be some wonderful more time spent here. By the end of this transfer I will have spent 6 months here which has been wonderful for me because I have been able to see so much growth in these wards! I am going to be training again this transfer as well. Our mission has been getting a lot more missionaries than we are used to, so more and more missionaries are being called to trained who have never trained before. These past 6 weeks have been so great for me and I am approaching this coming transfer motivated to do my best and be focused on my missionary purpose.

Last night I had another lesson with the Loftus' and we taught the Word of Wisdom. Sister Loftus' only issue is that she likes to drink coffee very occasionally. We (their home teacher and I)` worked on helping her understanding the doctrine behind the Word of Wisdom. She understands about why its import and that she cant be baptized without  living it, so she committed to pray about living it. We are going by next week and giving her a blessing that she will be able live it and receive that strength. It will be a will be a great opportunity to exercise faith to live this doctrine and I know that when she does, she will begin to feel the amazing difference that it will make in her life.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true and I don't doubt that. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, not because I have been told it a thousand and one times, because I have prayed about it. I asked in faith (James 1:5) and I have received a spiritual confirmation that he is. I know it and that if you don't have this spiritual witness, you should pray and show the faith NOW to receive it. That knowledge will change your life. Give place for that seed in your heart (Alma 32). I know Jesus Christ is my Savior, and that without Him I would be stuck in this existence with no hope of progression. It is literally only through Christ and exercising faith in Him, repenting daily, being baptized and renewing our covenants weekly, always striving to have the Holy Ghost with you and choosing to follow Him, and by doing those things for the rest of our life that we will be able to receive Gods greatest gift (Moses 1:39).

Have a wonderful week and ponder about your own testimony. If you ask God on if you are pleasing Him in whatever work you are in, whether if you are a missionary, mother, or CEO of a major company, He will give you an answer and prompt you of more ways that you can be happier.

Love,

Elder Sumsion

Season 6: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 5:The Lord Needs You, Not Robot Missionary 2000

This week is another one of those week where I am not 100% sure of what to write.

 

I figure I might as well include this contacting experience that we had yesterday, or really the beginning.

In contacting what we are encouraged to connect, meaning say "Hi," be friendly and interested, then tie to connect that to truths of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Then after we connect to the restoration, we bear testimony so the spirit is invited and invite them to meet with us (or depending on the situation just start teaching them right then and there).

In this case yesterday we were walking by a man and some others who looked rough and others who were with him. Because Jesus Christ loves all of Gods children and He suffered and died for them, we talk to everyone we see and invite them, including this man who looked a little rough. I wasn't sure how to connect with him, other than I saw a Pikachu doll in the front part of his truck so I asked if it was his. I then tied the playing of Pokémon and gaining experience in that game to level up you Pokémon to the doctrine that we need to work hard to find answers to our questions. Joseph Smith didn't just casually think about what church was right, he worked hard! He searched and investigated the churches, he read the Bible searching, seeking, and studying for answers, and then he prayed with the intent in a grove near his home to act on the answer he would receive.

We talked to this fellow, he name was Chris, for a long time. I don't know exactly how long, but enough time for him to take a cigarette out of his truck, light it, smoke it, throw it into the back of his truck, and listen to us for at least 3 more minutes. He didn't accept our invitation to come by and tell him about how the Book of Mormon has come into our possession, but he did accept a copy of the Book of Mormon and said he would eventually read it.

Chris and another contact we talked to we actually talked to for a long while. Both of them had concerns or questions and ideas to bash about, but we cant really resolve those. All we can do is testify and invite. We don't do any of the conversion to any investigator on our missions. That is the spirits job.

Things are really great companionship wise. I like to sing Hymns a lot (like Love at Home, I'm Trying to Be like Jesus, More Holiness Give Me, and so on)in the apartment for multiple reasons. Elder Meads though got rather annoyed and has asked me to stop multiple because it bothers him. Yesterday night though was so amazing when out of the blue Elder Meads after planning and journal writing and everything like that just told me that I could sing and that he would try and be more patient. I was so grateful for that and appreciate, but also touched because of that. It sounds really simple, but it was honestly such a wonderful key indicator and was very very meaningful to me.

 

Love you all! This week is the last week of the Transfer. Elder Meads has his visa and is leaving to the Netherlands a week from today, so this will be my last week with him. Transfer wise I will probably stay here unless the area(s) will be whitewashed.

Letters are very appreciated and loved. My address will stay the same for my whole mission so no worry about it changing.

Bye Y'all!

Elder Sumsion

Season 6: Glacier Wilderness. Episode 4:The Restoration and Star Wars

Things are really wonderful.

The Zone Leaders had a second exchange this week on Tuesday with us. It was very needed and went very well. On the exchange I stayed in Glacier Park/Lake Wilderness with Elder Holtry and it was great! We had a very nice lesson with a Less Active/Part Member family and one of the members is deaf. This is my third time having a lesson there, but it really is a wonderful experience to teach clearly, slowly, and simply by the spirit and have someone translate it for you into ASL. The best part for me was just how Elder Holtry and I were able to eb and flow and teach by the spirit according to their needs. The Spirit was most definitely the Senior Companion in that lesson.

Its a strange thought to think that Elder Meads could be gone by the end of the week. Depending on what my Mission President chooses and feels to do. He could also stay by the end of the transfer, but if that is the case that he leaves this week or next I will have had as many different companions as I have had in 8 months as I have had in 6 weeks. We will see what happens when we come to it. A big focus has been on helping Elder Meads develop the good habits of obedience and consecration now, so he can use this time here in the Washington Federal Way Mission as productively and effectively as he can. I know that the time he will spend here will be very very beneficial time for the rest of his mission if he chooses to make it so. I cant force it upon him, but already so much progress is being made and he has had a big change since I first met him.

Yesterday we had a really great lesson with a non-member family we helped move in a couple of weeks ago. They are from Arizona and this is the first time living up in Washington, it was a pretty big move and it was super wonderful that we were able to help them out. We had the opportunity to go by and share the message of the restoration with them and it went rather well. We brought a member with us, Brother Zitzelberger, and he was definitely someone who needed to be at this lesson. They were super duper willing to learn and were asking sincere questions about what we talked about which was really wonderful. They didn't fully understand Prophets and the restoration of the priesthood and after clarifying some things they understood. They didn't fully believe, but they whole heartedly agree on praying and asking God (James 1:5) to feel and know if that experience with Joseph Smith really did happen and they are doing that.

Brother Z had some really great insights. One example is when they asked about the verse in Revelations and that it said nothing should be added to or taken away. In order to bring it into a different context Brother West (west is the family name of the family we are teaching) asked for a comparison on the level of the Star Wars movies.

Brother Z talked about how the original trilogy is there and that the new trilogy (episodes 1-3) really don't take away or change that original three. They add a different perspective and another view. One specific example of how the first 3 episodes benefit the other three is on Anakin Skywalker and his transformation to Darth Vader. Ever since Anakin had been taken in and becoming a Jedi, since he was 9, he was always told "if you join the dark side you cant turn back" and that message was ingrained so hard into his being that when he turned he didn't believe he could come back. Luke Skywalker was only being trained to be a Jedi a lot older in his life and that idea of "once you join you cant turn back" and that didn't settle with him. He knew there was still good in Darth Vader and when Luke told him that he can still sense the good fighting inside of him to get out and that he can change, the idea that he cant come back was still so ingrained in him and that's why he said "Its to late. There is no hope for me."

Those first 3 episodes make that line from Vader so much more meaningful because we understand the context behind why he is saying that, because he was told that since he was 9. And as well, it makes it all the more meaningful when Darth Vader starts on the repentance process and starts to change right before he passed away.

Just like how those first 3 episodes add so much more meaning and perspective, the Book of Mormon adds that to the gospel of Jesus Christ and we come to understand it some much more. The Wests really understood that and it really explained it. I probably didn't do the best job, but hopefully you understand the idea.

 

Anyway, missionary work is very wonderful and I love it! Continue to have a wonderful week and be sure you strive to be a better person everyday and repent! Repenting every single day, renewing and making promises to God every week, and consistently making goals to change and following through with them is a pattern for an increasingly rewarding life!

Love,

Elder Sumsion

 

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