Season 12: Skyway A. Episode 5:Progression

his is Elder John, Elder Sanders, Elder Samuelsen, and I at their apartment.
This haircut is one I did myself!

This is the board on one of the churches we drive by often haha.

Hola!

Elder Sanders in the zone had a bike accident where he dislocated both of his elbows, so he needed to stay in for a couple of days. One days I stayed inside for the day to be with him while his companion went out and worked. During that time on one of those days I had a goal to call a lot of folks from the area book. I did that and it took some work! I called a total of 66 numbers. Out of those 66, 47 of them either picked up the phone and I talked to them or I left a voicemail. Out of those 47, we got 3 return appointments and 2 pretty promising ones we need to follow up with. I enjoyed getting back in the phone drill as I worked in a call center for a security company before my mission. It was some fun stuffs!!

Gin is a super duper busy fellow and as a result he needed to reschedule our appointment that was supposed to happen last night. So we are going by this Sunday. He communicates with us very well and we really appreciate that. He is great and we love him so much!

I had the opportunity to go on an exchange this week with an Elder who I went on with when I first got here. I love this Elder so much! He has progressed a lot since I first went out with him. He has changed and become a much better Preach My Gospel missionary and he is still progressing. He isn't perfect, but we never will be! The point of this life is to continue to progress and become more Christlike in the process and this Elder is definitely doing that.

Here is a last quick thought for today.

Helping Heavenly Father become my true priority all of the time is another focus I am working on right now. On exchanges and at various other times, I am doing much better at focusing on not trying to impress this missionary, but instead to please Heavenly Father. Heavenly Fathers opinion and grade is the only metric that truly counts. One thing that is hard is at the end of a poor week of key indicators (these are defined in Preach my Gospel Chapter 8) to total them up and see you have lower numbers than you hoped for. One thing I felt inspired to do last night was to read pages 10 and 11 in Preach My Gospel, which talk about the definition of a successful missionary, before totaling them up at the end of the week. Doing that helped me feel that even though what was measured key indicator wise was low, that Heavenly Fathers love and measure of success for my companion and I is truly high. Higher than we normally realize. I invite you to pray and search for the praise that truly counts, the praise from  Heaven!

Love y'all!

Elder Sumsion

"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

Season 12: Skyway A. Episode 3

Us at one point during interviews with President Eaton on Friday.

This is the Renton Zone currently

Here is a quickity quick low down for this week!

Monday the 4th: While we were eating at Dairy Queen there was this man who was talking to us and kept on trying to get us to argue with him. He was talking about all those controversial things that people usually bring up and we just responded with simple "Thank-you's" when he would compliment us and simple "Okay's." We didn't say much, but it was a great thing because we left Dairy-Queen feeling the Spirit. It didn't leave us, because we chose not to act in a way the would offend it.

Tuesday the 5th: I was practicing a lot a goal I have which is to be more grateful for others success'. For example when Elder John would receive a compliment I have been trying to think "That's wonderful, he really  great at that" rather than thinking "aren't a good at that?" Why didn't I get a compliment on that?" Its been great as I have been striving to change with Christs help that natural trait in me. Elder Holland shared a quote in his talk "The Other Prodigal" about this idea. (Its a great talk on pride. Check it out if you want help on that! https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2002/04/the-other-prodigal?lang=eng  )

"One observer has written: “In a world that constantly compares people, ranking them as more or less intelligent, more or less attractive, more or less successful, it is not easy to really believe in a [divine] love that does not do the same. When I hear someone praised,” he says, “it is hard not to think of myself as less praiseworthy; when I read about the goodness and kindness of other people, it is hard not to wonder whether I myself am as good and kind as they; and when I see trophies, rewards, and prizes being handed out to special people, I cannot avoid asking myself why that didn’t happen to me.” If left unresisted, we can see how this inclination so embellished by the world will ultimately bring a resentful, demeaning view of God and a terribly destructive view of ourselves. Most “thou shalt not” commandments are meant to keep us from hurting others, but I am convinced the commandment not to covet is meant to keep us from hurting ourselves."

Sorry I am running out of time. Gin is progressing well! He is our first progressing investigator in my time here in Skyway. We are still teaching super duper simple! We have been doing one concept a lesson where normally we would do the whole lesson.

Elder John and I are experiencing many more blessings and I am honestly just super happy and smiley! I love being a missionary and becoming more like Christ!

-- 

Sincerely,

Elder Sumsion

"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

Season 12: Skyway A. Episode 2:Specific Conference!

My traditional MLC selfie

Temple Day

This was Mission Leadership Council on Friday the 1st.

Howdy!

I just love life! No progress with our current investigators at the moment. It has all stayed just about the same since last week. Since there has been little progress or none we may be dropping a few or most of them. We love them, but our purpose is to invite all to come unto Christ and we cant do that if we are only working with those who spend our time for naught when we can be doing more productive things.

We loved President Eyrings talk in Priesthood session. We are really praying for and striving to help a family come unto Christ through baptism. In our mission we have received a lot of baptisms from part member families and there are a lot in the Skyway ward, so we are going to be working on a list that we were given and try to contact them all by the end of the week. Whenever we have tried to contact some in the past, it has been fruitful, even if it wasn't directly from finding them so we are excited for the coming up time.

General conference was amazing. Just a little spiritual food for thought for you is to ponder about why it is called general conference. These are some of my ideas. These messages are shared generally to the whole world, with some occasions where it is specified even more. The most important part of it though is you applying the things to yourself and then doing different things as a result to help you become more Christ-like. If we just waste 10 hours watching these sessions to only go on continue doing what we are were currently doing we have missed the point and would have simply wasted that time we could have been doing other worldly things. James put it pretty bluntly in his epistle.

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves"

James 1:22

Are you deceiving yourself by not making any changes as a result of that spiritual feast we just participated in? 

You may be asking these questions now. "What can I change? What do I need to do differently? How can I apply something so general, to me?"

The Spirit is the one that takes the general messages shared with the whole world and applies it specifically to you. The Spirit is the author that inspires the givers and then inspires the receivers to be benefited by the message. Review general conference. Pray for the Spirit to highlight something you can do as a result. 

I love you all so much! Thanks for the prayers and love you share with me!

Sincerely,

Elder Sumsion

"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

Season 12: Skyway A. Episode 1: Always Remember Him.

Elder John and I love our Mods pizza :D

Saturday morning watching the sunrise. Starting on the left Elder Mitton, Elder John, Elder Samuelson, Elder Sanders, Elder Cook, and Elder Sumsion.

It is always showering blessings, especially here in Washington :D 

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/shower-of-heavenly-blessings

A shower of blessings are around us just like that new Mormon message describes. It is very literal here in terms of blessings from God and literal here in terms of rainfall. Elder John and I really desire to be blessed with someone not only to teach, but someone who is ready to exercise their Faith in Jesus Christ, Repent, Be baptized, Receive the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the end. That was something I was fasting for on Fast Sunday. Near the end of our fasts, we were blessed to meet Gin. He speaks Chinese and at first wasn't interested. We asked him questions about his beliefs, he is Buddhist, and eventually that led to him saying something like "You know I am not interested in learning more about Christianity right now, but in the future I will learn more." We asked him why and that led to him being interested right now. The future for him was a couple minutes later! We shared more about the restoration and he agreed for us to come back as we taught him more on the spot. We are going by on Wednesday. He is very curious and prepared to learn more and is definitely a direct answer to my fast. I am excited to continue to work with him.

Another great blessing happened as Elder John and I were walking/running with Holy Haste during our finding time. We knocked on the door of Laudon and he was a very prepared individual as well! We are going back on Tuesday with a member. He isn't currently going to church due to something a pastor did a little while ago, but he felt the importance of what we were talking about and he is letting us come back.

Happy Easter on Sunday! Happy General Conference this Sunday! Write down questions you have (and if you don't have any, create some you care about) and then pray and look for an answer during General Conference. I have heard it described as a "scheduled answered prayer" and I invite you to try that out!

President Eaton has a permission of watching the Easter sunrise every year. Morning time is about when Mary first ran into Christ and when the Resurrection occurred so it is a special way to remember it. He gave us permission to go and watch the Saturday sunrise (because Sunday was stormy). That was really great. We drove 2 companionship of Elders with us to a place in the Fairwood ward. The hill was right next to Lake Desire and it was a good experience to remember Christ in that special way.

Here are some updates on investigators:

• AJ hasnt had any progress sadly since I last mentioned him. His work has gotten even busier and is now working on Sunday. Right now we only have had occasional contact maybe once a week sadly. 

• Shannon and Rob are progressing a little bit at a time. They came to a baptism that happened in the Stake on Friday. That was great and we had our first official sit down lesson with them last night. She has worked with missionaries in the past and understands that she will need to quit the substances she is currently taking. She is wanting to take some more time, but neither of them committed to a date for baptism. We have invited them though and they know that's what we are working for. They are very friendly and the biggest difference that will be made with them is involving members.

• Dionte and Kamilah haven't had a lot of progression either, so we are considering dropping them this week. We have a lesson this evening and will be helping them see truly what is at stake and why we are coming by. 

Here are some things that have been on my mind recently:

What is the importance of remembering Christ everyday rather than just on Easter or Sunday?

That is a question I have been thinking about. We should always be remember Christ, because without Him the world would be an utterly dark and unforgivable place. This video talks a little about what the world would be like without a Savior.

https://www.mormon.org/christmas/purpose-of-a-savior

I love remembering Christ. My pondering has led me to another question of how I can do better at always remembering Him. Its something we promise to do when we are baptized, but how hard do we actually try to accomplish that. We say we will, but is that a goal that you are actually trying to do? I invite you to ponder about what you will do to always remember Him. One of the ways that I am trying is to memorize more Hymns. I am trying a Hymn a week. Last week was "How Great the Wisdom and The Love." This Week is "Come, Ye Children of The Lord." It helps a lot and I love doing it.

Things are great up here in Washington. Heavenly Father is so good and I am grateful for the progression I am experiencing throughout my mission. Christ takes us as the natural being we are and helps us become new creatures as we exercise our faith (see 2 Corinthians 5:17, Mosiah 3:19, and Alma 32).

Love,

Elder Sumsion

Season 11: Skyway A. Episode 7:

3 generations of missionaries. Elder Graham my missionary "father" and Elder Jackson my missionary "son." This was at the mission devotional down in Graham on the 20th.

Dear Family, Friends, and those of you whom I have never met or eventually will (I am pretty sure that covered all my base's),

I am just soo grateful for life and being on a mission. Life is such a gift and I am grateful for the tender mercies of Heavenly Father. I practiced looking for things that He has done for me and it has been a huge blessing. I just feel very happy right now. I am happier. Not that I am simply choosing to be happier right now, but since last week I have become a happier person. 

2 weeks ago when we went to the Kubota Gardens my camera actually succumbed to gravity and went "the way of the ghost." Heavenly Father blessed me so much to find a new one for a wonderful deal for a camera! It just "happened" (quotation marks are to highlight that Heavenly Father was the architect behind that event) to be on sale when we decided to check out Fred Meyer to pick up something Elder John forgot to grab. It was such a blessing and I am grateful for that. 

Gratitude is actually a pretty big thing in Heavenly Fathers eyes. "And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments." D&C 59:21 In this sense when the word "confess" is used, it would mean to recognize and show gratitude for what He has done for you.  Show some gratitude by first recognizing what He has done for you and then thanking Him in your prayers. Showing more gratitude and recognizing His hand will help you become happier.

Love you see you! I am not getting transferred and staying another 6 weeks with Elder John.

Love you all! 

--

Sincerely,

Elder Sumsion

"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

Happy 20th Birthday to Elder Cameron today on his way to a fireside.

Season 11: Skyway A. Episode 6:#Hallelujah

This is a gong thing they had. I thought it was really funny.

Elder John and I went on P-day to the Kubota Gardens in our area last p-day. It was a nice beautiful place to be in. Spring time is great in Washington.

Howdy! All weeks are good weeks and all days are good days should you choose to look at it that way. I love what President Eyring did growing up, is he would before writing in his journal ask the question “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” I know Heavenly Father touches our lives every day! If you struggle to recognize it, pray for the eyes to see what He does for you. You will see more! Just like as I grew older I noticed more and more of the things my parents did for me, you will notice what your Heavenly father does for you.

Monday: We went to Kubota Gardens in our area. It was beautiful and I am grateful for Gods amazing gifts of nature! The lesson with AJ didn't turn out due to him being called into work.

Tuesday: Elder John and I were able to present Zone Training to our zone. We talked about working with members, less actives, and recent converts to find those who are prepared to be baptized in the Lords way. With the new Easter Initiative going on, we are encouraged to try and visit all of the active members in the ward in short 15 minute visits talking about sharing this video with them. 

My invitation for you would be to go to this website right now for 5 minutes, watch the video and explore it, and then share it to someone via social media with a personalized message saying why you like it. Try it out!FollowHim.mormon.org Its a great website and is focused on Jesus Christ! Check it out.

Wednesday: I was on an exchange with Elder Jones a current district leader in the Zone. We had a really fun experience where we were getting a ride from a member to another appointment, so we left our car parked at an investigators place. After that appointment we had another one to get to and we were late, so we went straight to the next one and afterwards get a ride back from a returning less-active to our car. So we got dropped off and it was just pouring rain and realized we forgot our phone in the members car. We talked to a stranger and he let us use his phone to call the member back to us. it was still super duper rainy and we were getting soaked. We then got our phone back, but we couldnt find that returning less-active member and the appointment we had fell through. It was such a funny situation because we were far away from our car and couldn't find our ride back to it. We walked around and got drenched for a bit looking for him and eventually we found him and got a ride back. It was a memorable exchange and I am grateful for that experience :D I returned with a much stronger appreciation of a car and a greater respect for those missionaries out on bike throughout these downpours this winter (this winter has been the wettest winter on record in Seattle history, so my hat is off to all of those missionaries on bike).

Thursday: We had a great lesson set up with AJ at Elder and Sister Knowles home (a senior missionary couple in the ward), but he wasn't able to make it. AJ's mom is not the most happy camper about him meeting with the missionaries, but AJ is still going strong even with family opposition.

Friday: We met with a lady who struggled with addiction to lots of things like cigarettes, alcohol, etc. During exchanges Elder Murphy and Elder John taught her. She has met with the missionaries before and she said something like "I really like having the missionaries over because I feel great every time, but dont ask me to give up my addictions because they tried it before and I wont do it." When we showed up on Friday, we found out the very soon after us leaving she decided to quit doing those things and has been sober since! It was such an amazing miracle which we were so grateful for. She felt inspired to do it and followed through with that prompting.

Saturday: There was a ward party, a silent auction and live auction, fundraiser for the Young Women to go on campy. It went well and some people came who haven't been to church in a long while! Shannon almost came with her boyfriend and 12 year old son, but she was way to tired due to symptoms of going without these drugs n' stuff. We tried to meet with AJ on Saturday, but he has a way busy work schedule and worked from 7am-9 pm at a adult home. He is working super hard!

Sunday: Daylight savings caused many investigators and folks throughout the whole zone to miss coming to church. AJ made it to the last 2 hours and he loved it! We taught him about the restoration and he felt the Spirit so strongly! He definitely received an answer to his prayer about Joseph Smith, but did quite recognize it. We are going to have a family home evening tonight talking about the Book of Mormon with our ward mission leader. AJ is so solid and excited. 

Love you all! Have a great week!

--

Sincerely,

Elder Sumsion

"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