Psych. It is not all that easy to learn how to ride a bike.
I don't speak about myself, don't worry Dad I have not forgotten how to ride a
bike in the past two months, I do still speak from experience. Something that I
absolutely love about Sister Munive is that she is so creative in ways that we
can teach people the gospel. As a missionary you see that many people are not
so excited to stop and talk about the gospel, but they love talking about their
families or things like that. Sister Munive has this talent that she is able to
see a way that we can help people while still managing to share the gospel.
Among these beautiful roundabouts are teaching piano lessons (in French),
Learning how to draw (in French), and other services. I myself have had the opportunity
to teach how to direct music in church, and I have been able to continue my
study of voice through teaching beginner voice lessons. I am so grateful that
my family and my lovely voice teacher Rebecca have been able to prepare me for
these moments that I may share the love of God through my works and services.
(Speaking of Family...HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY CLAYTON!!!!!!!!!!!) But one of the
main services we are right now doing, which is the influence of the title, you
guessed it. We are teaching a wonderful twenty-four year old investigator named
Luna, how to ride a bike! I applaud you Dad and/or Mom who helped me learn how
to ride my bike (my memory is a bit fuzzy on who actually taught me...might
have been from the frequent falls) because by golly is it hard!! You don't want
to let go of the bike but you know you have to if you want them to learn. I
have come to realize more of Gods love by teaching someone how to use a bike.
God wants us to be like him because that is what we want. It is just as painful
for him to watch us fail or struggle as for a father watching his little girl
falling and failing on a bicycle. He doesn't want to let go of our bikes as we
learn how to live but if we are to progress and learn fully He has to let go.
And so he does. But he is always there to catch us when we fall. He may not be
holding the bike anymore but he never leaves us alone.
Wow..that got deep quick...I guess that just means that I am
becoming even more a missionary. Another way we as missionaries have taught is
through the teachings of English classes or French. Me personally its only
English, sorry everyone I'm not that good at the language yet but I'm working
on it. Anyways we are teaching a less active sister who is from Brazil and only
speaks Portuguese, how to speak English. She has a wonderful dream to live in
Utah where the church is so strong, which is amazing! But here's the difficult
part...neither of us speak Portuguese. However Sister Munive has been able to
explain things through Spanish and I am able to teach grammar and pronunciation
principles by insane hand gestures that I like to think is an interpretive
dance. Seriously though, the gift of tongues, or the power given through God to
speak other languages, is so true. As part of a previous lesson I had given
this sister the English Book of Mormon that I had brought from home. Inside of
it was a written testimony who I am assuming was written by either Jesse or
Clayton my brothers. I had completely forgotten about that when I gave her the
book and then the next time we came over to teach her she said "I want to
read this in my language, will you help me translate it." She was so
touched by the spirit she felt when she read the testimony that she started
crying. The next Sunday she was at church! Thank you to whoever wrote that
testimony, it has been translated into French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Not to
mention it has helped bring someone back to church.
This week as a district we fasted, or in other words
refrained from food and drink for twenty-four hours. This is a way that we can
feel closer to our God by our sacrifice and in return he gives us even greater
blessings, whether it be through answers to specific questions or help and
comfort when we need it. We had begun to feel a little discouraged. Our
appointments kept getting cancelled and no one we talked to seemed to be
interested in our church. We decided to fast together for the missionary work
of our area to become what God wants it to be. We definitely felt the effects
this week. Sister Munive and I received two new investigators, and others in
the district received similar blessings. I am going to take the time to tell you about one of our investigators.
Her name is Sarina. And this is the story of how we met her. Sister Munive and
I were feeling down after both of our meal appointments canceled, the sisters
serving in Terrebonne invited us to their wards corn boil (and yes that is a
thing here, imagine sacks and sacks of corn. Why did this never happen in
Illinois??) We were talking to the members when one member comes up and talks
to us. He said he was walking by the road cleaning up the church grounds when a
woman walks by. She stopped and looked at the church sign and so he went up and
talked to her. He invited her to the corn boil that was happening in the
parking lot. This brother introduced us to Sarina, we gave her a tour of the
church building and when she saw the chapel she called up her friend to come
and see it. She said that it was the most beautiful chapel she has seen. In my eyes
I have always thought the church buildings of our church to be more functional
than beautiful, so out of curiosity I asked her why she felt that way? She
replied with how beautiful the feeling of the building was. I honestly don't
think I'll look at our chapels in any other way than beautiful just from
hearing that simple little phrase.
I am loving the work here. And I am loving the opportunity
to have these amazing things happen. In my mind I see miracles everyday and it
isn't until I look back at those moments through writing these emails/blog
posts that I realize just how miraculous the things I have seen are. I love
Mascouche and I love the people. And I am loving being a missionary for my
church, and spreading the happiness and love that I have found through these
gospels.
Je vous aime
Soeur Cummings
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