Hmong New Years

(Elder Cummings)
Hmong New Years is completely exhausting.  We have receive 450 referrals in the last three days, 203 of them are from today alone.  We have been working hard!  I got myself some Hmong clothes of my own that I love!  I'm not wearing the top right now, but here is a picture of the ankle of them.  They cost me $145, which was a really sweet deal.  A recent convert gave me a Hmong cap for my birthday too.  That with the Hmong clothes plus my curly hair makes me look like a Jewish boy.  I'll send you a picture of the hat too.

It was great to see you on Christmas!  I love you all.  I will be writing more next week!

With love,

Jared

Happy New Year!

(Anziano Wilkinson)

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending lots of time with family and eat lots of good food! It was exciting for me to be able to skype my family and catch up with them a little more face to face, or rather, screen to screen! My companion and I had some great food and had the pleasure of trying some new Italian dishes, and some old classics; the main dish was lasagna. As typical in Italian culture, this lovely family wouldn't let us leave without stuffing ourselves full of food. Hey, no complaints here! We also got the chance to watch a Disney movie, so my comp and I chose Frozen since neither of us had seen it.

After the big holiday we hit the pavement again and have begun to find lots of new people to teach, which is an exciting way to start the new year! As usual we're setting goals and making plans to make this new year a great one. Which for me includes learning how to cook Italian food better! I've decided that I will make a Ragu (back in the states we call it red pasta sauce with meat in it) on New Year's Eve since we have to return home early that evening. Apparently Italians take their New Years parties pretty seriously. I'll let you all know by next week next week if I live through it! But for now, have a great New Years, set some awesome goals, and achieve some amazing things!

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

Christmas is almost here!

(Anziano Wilkinson)

The exciting day is almost upon us and the countdown is getting smaller and smaller. Christmas is almost here! There is probably not a more exiting day of the year for a missionary! I can't wait to skype home to my family soon; they're probably just as weird as ever, but I still miss them to death and can't wait to hear their voices!

So with all the Christmas spirit people have been feeling, we've started to accumulate a lot of lunch appointments (which made the grocery shopping really easy this week). So we're pretty excited for this opportunity to fill ourselves with some good old Italian food! And also were excited for the chance to bring a nice Christmas message to each of their homes, because Christmas is a missionary's favorite topic to talk about! (Or, at least, it's my favorite haha).

So a few weeks ago I was struck by the accounts of the savior's birth that are contained in the book of Luke and in the Book of Mormon. They talk about the same event but from radically different perspectives and yet the power behind both accounts is tangible. So for Christmas this year I invite everyone to read Luke chapter 2 and Third Nephi chapter 1 and ponder upon the importance of the birth of a savior! I know that a savior was indeed born for us. I know that he suffered for us and I know that he died for us. And last of all he rose from the dead that we too might have the chance to do so as well! I am so grateful for his gift to us and I rejoice at the wonderful opportunities that this opens up for us! We have a savior. His name is Jesus Christ. Find him and learn of him; there is no more rewarding venture in the whole universe!

Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy the festivities!

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

A taste of Africa

(Anziano Wilkinson)

This week went by unusually fast, which is ironic because the days that count down to Christmas usually tick by very slowly in anticipation of that glorious day haha. Unfortunately I won't be having a white Christmas this year since it nearly never snows in Tuscany, in fact, we we'd be lucky if we even need out coats that day; we rarely use them as it is!

This last week was the first of our new transfer and we are beginning it with a newly Awakened Force... Okay, lame Star Wars pun. But really, we are working harder than ever and making successes everyday! One of our investigators, named Jonathan, is a fantastic man from Nigeria and has been making great progress lately. He is only just beginning to come to a full view of the beauty of the gospel and each week he draws closer to our Heavenly Father! He had us over for lunch last Sunday and we had some traditional Nigerian food, eat in the traditional Nigerian way: no plates. Apparently, they place the serving dish in the center just eat from the same dish, which sounds gross, but in reality it's not as bad as it sounds. I'll put some pictures of us eating with him and his friend Alfred.

This week, I was struck by the thirtieth chapter of 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon, which is only two verses long. It's very short but it packs a lot of power into the few words that are said. Basically, in writing this chapter, Mormon digresses form his abridging of the history of the Nephites and takes a moment to pour his heart out to us, the future readers of his work. He feels earnestly to warn us of what we are going to face in our time and to warn us not to do as his own people did. He urges us, in pleading words, to repentance and to cast from ourselves any ungodliness and beckons us to follow the example of our loving Heavenly Father.

These words were truly meant for us, written hundreds of years in advance. These are the words of a prophet who witnessed the complete distraction of his own people and wished with all of his heart that it might not happen again in a future generation. He pleads with us to lay aside sin and take up righteousness, knowing that it is too late for his own people and hoping with all his heart that his words will reach our ears in time for us to act upon them. I stand by his words and likewise invite everyone to repent and taste of the goodness that is gospel of Jesus Christ! Especially now this Christmas season, I invite everyone to listen to and act upon the words of Mormon, the ancient prophet, "that ye may be numbered with [God's] people". What a great joy that would be!

Have a great week everyone, hear from you next week!

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

Welcome to the Covenants

(Elder Cummings)
Less than twenty-four hours ago I had the fantastic privilege to witness Pieter J. follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by one holding the proper authority from God.  It made me unbelievably happy!  Normally my preparation days are accompanied by a pinch of homesickness, but not today!  Today I am beaming.  I am so happy for Pieter!

Seeing Pieter baptized got me thinking about Johnny, one of my good friends from my congregation back at home.  I love Johnny!  He has such a firm testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He believes with a passion that Joseph Smith did see God the Father and Jesus Christ and that the Book of Mormon is God's word on the earth.  I met Johnny around two years ago at a Stake Conference.  His mom was a returning less active member and Johnny was coming to church with her.  He had never been baptized, but one of the first things he said to me was that he wanted to serve a mission someday!

Johnny was taught the missionary lessons and he was baptized not long after I met him.  You should have seen the smile on his face!  He was filled with joy!  He had promised with God that he would do all he could to live according to Christ's commandments, to be a witness of Christ in all places, and to always remember the sacrifice of his Savior.  The next Sunday he was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, exactly as we read the Apostle Paul doing it in Acts 19:2-6.  He now has the constant companionship of a member of the Godhead to protect him and teach him the truth.  Pieter will be receiving the same blessing on the 20th of this month (the same day three more Hmong investigators will be getting baptized).  I am so happy for Pieter!  Having seen the joy the gospel has brought Johnny and to myself I know that Pieter will have the same lasting peace and happiness.  God wants so badly to bless all of His children!

Baptism is essential the beginning of the path that leads us back to God.  It is the first covenant that prepares us to make other covenants in God's holy temples.  Helping people receive these covenants, to come into the fold of Christ is infinitely rewarding!  I am so happy to be a missionary!

In a few days my older sister will be returning home to conclude her missionary service.  For the last eighteen months she has been preaching the gospel in Montreal, Canada.  She sent her last email home today and testified of the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  I bear witness with her that what she testified of is true.  Jesus makes possible all progression along the path of righteousness.  Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer.  He came to the earth to so that the world in sin and error pining could rejoice in the new and glorious morn.  With Him we will stand at the last day.  Before him we will all stand to be judged according to our actions and the desires of our hearts.  He is the Only Begotten of the Father.  Is is the light, the life and the hope of the world who rules today at the right hand of His Father.  I echo wholeheartedly the testimony the living Apostles.  God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son!

With my love,

Elder A. Jared Cummings

Final Words

(Sister Cummings)

Dearest Family and Friends,

The time has come. The moment I have both looked forward to and avoided is now at the door. This is my last email as a missionary. This Wednesday I will be relieved of my proselyting duties, Thursday my family will come pick me up and on Saturday I will be released as a missionary. It all seems to be happening so fast. It’s like when you have been waiting in line for  a waterslide and you get all excited when it finally comes but then it is just as the slide starts tipping downward you wish you had never gotten on it and want to climb back up. I am finding more and more that I do not want my mission to end, but yet I am excited for the future. Just like the waterslide. First you want to crawl back but then you realize how fun and exhilarating it is. I am grateful for my mission and excited for the future.

For the past 18 months I have been "anxiously engaged in a good cause" (D&C 58:27) I have served with all my "Heart, mind, might and strength" (D&C 4) as a representative of Jesus Christ, here in Quebec. Much like the province slogan, "Je me souviens," I will always remember my time here.

It certainly was not easy. With one of the strictest schedules of my lie, the initiative to talk to everyone in a language not my own, having to stay 24/7 with a companion of a different culture or traditions. Not to mention how many times a door has been slammed in my face, that I have been yelled at, and cursed at, and once spat at. I cannot imagine a happier moment than I have witnessed here. I have seen so many miracles. I have witnessed as the spirit touched the lives of many people in bringing them to the joy of the fullness of the gospel, as they become converted to the Lord. The most breathtakingly beautiful thing however is that as I have been helping my fellow brothers and sisters here I myself have changed.

A scripture found in Alma 29:10 often comes to mind as I have gone about serving the Lord. "And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me." I cannot say it as well as Alma, but as I have seen the Lord's precious children become enfolded in his arms of mercy through their efforts to come closer to him, I myself have come to realize all that God has done for me.

If I was ever able to tell you the most important thing I have learned from serving a mission it would be that I have finally come to an understanding of the grandeur of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Why he went forth "suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind" and took upon him "the pains and the sicknesses of his people" (Alma 7:11) It is because he loves us. A truth that I knew of but did not know the extent of this love. he has gone before my face. He has been on my right hand and on my left with his angels round about me to bear me up (D&C 84:88) When I have stumbled he has lifted me. When I was weak he has made me strong. Wherever I have been he is always there with his arms of mercy extended towards me. (Alma 5:33-34)

During this Christmas season I have reflected on the words of a well loved song. "Oh Holy Night" depicts through poetry and music the evening of the saviours birth. I had the opportunity of performing it in place of my final testimony as a missionary I asked to sing.

"Oh holy night

The stars are brightly shining

it is the night of the dear Saviour's birth."

It then talks about why the saviour was needed.

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth"

Without the Saviour the world would forever be in sin and sadness. We would have no chance of fulfilling the goal we so longingly desired for. This being living with our Father in Heaven once more. For "there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God." (1 Nephi 15:34) A spiritual darkness surrounded the earth until the Saviour was born.

"A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn"

And I find that the words translated from the French version are far more descriptive than the English

"People to your knees

hear your deliverance

Noel, Noel

Here is your redeemer

Noel, Noel

Here is your redeemer"

How beautiful it would have been to be there at his birth. Where a hope was given once more to us to return to our father in heaven. He is our Redeemer and the Saviour of our souls. Salvation is a lot better than anything Santa Claus can give.

In closing these final thoughts I wished to share something that have learned recently. In the bible there comes a moment when the children of Israel are corned by the fast approaching wave of the Philistine Army. The Israelites plead unto Samuel, the prophet at the time, saying "Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us. That he will save us out of the hand of the philistines" (1 Samuel 7:8) Samuel prays on their behalf and the Lord sends a thunder that confuses the Philistines are the Israelites are able to win. After the battle Samuel took a stone and made a memorial, which he named Ebenezer meaning "stone of help." Saying "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." In reading this story another song came to mind. That of "Come thou fount of every blessing" In one of the verses it states

"Here I raise my Ebenezer

Hither by thy help I come

And I hope by thy good pleasure

Safely to arrive at home"

Here, Quebec I raise my Ebenezer. I have come to be who I am through my service here. And I hope that through Gods grace that I may continue to progress so that I may be able to arrive home to my Father in Heaven.

I know that He lives. I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be saved from all heartache, sorrow or malediction. I know that this Church and its gospels and doctrine are true. I know all these things and I testify that we have a God who loves us and he wants us to be happy and through His plan he makes this so. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Day is Soon Cummings

(Sister Cummings)

Well everyone I have hit a rather remarkable and pretty bittersweet moment yesterday when I realized that I could count the amount of days that I have left on my mission using only my two hands.... Yikes.... I literally have spent 540 days of the roughly 550 days it takes to serve a mission. Boy. Crazy.

Anyways.... No daudling back to business...

Where was I? Oh that's right missionary work. This week has been pretty good. Although we, both Sister Blanc and I, had nice bought with a stomach virus we managed still to go out and see people. We actually got more lessons than the last two weeks combined. So quite a progress if I do say so myself. Honestly not sure how it happened, but I think part of it was God and the other part was people felt so sad for us that they just had to let us in. Either way it ended in our benefit, and we hope that this week may also be as effective or more.

I have had quite a few experiences this week. One happened just a few days ago. As a missionary soon to be returning to the real world...gulp... the First Presidency has started a training program to better help the transition. This training usually would take six weeks. But they literally just introduced it this week so I have to complete it in two weeks. A lot. But it is actually helping. The program focuses a lot on preparing, planning and setting goals for after the mission. So in fixing these goals I have had quite a bit of time to think about how my life will be. With a shockingly high less active rate of return missionaries you could say I was a little discouraged. I often find myself wondering if I will be able to surpass those bad habits before my mission when I return. What is going to happen. I had been saying a lot of prayers on the matter and I wasn't sure what to do.

With us both being sick we had a bit more time to study. A bit...more like a lot more time to study. One day I was reading ensigns and flipping through when I felt impressed to go pick up a Book of Mormon in English and read that. This Book of Mormon was very special. I had received it from my Sister, Camilla, around the time of Mother's Day this past year. She had decorated it and written her testimony in it. I thought it nice that if there were any English speakers that I taught I could share with them her testimony and favorite scripture. Sadly no one we have taught since then has been comfortable in English enough for me to give it to them. So I have held onto it. And it wasn't until about two weeks ago when I was going through and dejunking my desk that I found it again. Well this day I decided to read it. I open up to find that a page had one of the corners folded. Well that was interesting. Last time I checked there hadn't been any pages folded, so I decide to read it. It was 2 Nephi 4:18-19

18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily abeset me.

 19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I haveatrusted.

It may sound dark but I found actually that it said exactly what I was feeling. I was sad with the actions I had done before my mission, things like watching Netflix for hours instead of doing other more important things. ANd pretty soon I will be in a world less sheltered than missionary life where our only access to technology is a flip phone and emails once a week. Will I be able to keep the standards of diligence that I have learned from being sheltered while I am out encompassed about by temptation?

The Answer?

Yes because I know in whom I have trusted. Since this moment of opening up to a page that had a corner folded down that just happened to have the answer to my question (coincidence? I think Not!) the words of God speaking to the adversary in Moses 4:21 often come to mind."he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Power has only the power to bruise our heel. While inconvénient and annoying it is not debilitating expecially when we know that we, through Christ, shall bruise his head. In fact the Hebrew word used for bruise actually can also mean crush. So we have the power to Crush his head. We are never alone. We have a Father in Heaven who is so powerful that the whole of righteous humanity he calls his "little fold." He is always on our side and no matter the future we may continue in hope knowing with a surity that what ever the outcome may be for our benefit.

I love you all and I wish you one of the best christmas's ever. Have a wonderful week =)

Elder Bagley and The Week of Miracles

(Elder Cummings)

Before I get on with my letter for this week, I just want to share something with you that never fails to cheer me up.  One word: peanuts.  In Hmong this translates to "lub txiv laum huab xeeb," which translates back in English to "the fruit tickles pregnant cloud."  It makes sense to the native speakers, so I'm not going to question it.  I'll just keep smiling.

It has been a WONDERFUL week and Elder Ballard and I have welcomed our WONDERFUL new companion Elder Bagley who hails from Rexburg, Idaho.  This morning as we went shopping he bought a five pound bag of potatoes.  And so the old adage rings true, you can take the missionary out of Idaho, but you can't take the Idaho out of the missionary.  He has a real gift for the language.  After nine weeks in Utah he has come out knowing more words than I do after twelve additional weeks in the field.  I haven't been lazy with my time as a missionary and apparently neither has he!  He is a great missionary.  The three of us get along great and have done some great teaching together already!

A great example is our visit to Song Lu Xiong this week.  He and his wife are long time investigators and when we taught out of the Book of Mormon as a trio the Spirit was so thick and there was a tangible energy in the room.  Song Lu volunteered to begin praying to ask God if the LDS church has more truth than his.  He has been invited to do that several times over the last few years, and has always said no.  He and his wife have changed their hearts completely all because of the wonderful influence of the Spirit!

Another great example is Dow Xiong, a woman in her late twenties we met last night (not literally related to Song Lu, but still his "cousin," there are only 18 Hmong last names).  Elder Bagley and I contacted her while Elder Ballard was busy with a phone call and she changed her mind about the need for a church completely over the course of a ten minute conversation.  She went from not interested to agreeing to be baptized on January ninth in just six hundred seconds!  We bore testimony and taught the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and now she will be following the example of Jesus Christ and uniting with His restored church!  The Spirit changes hearts.

There was Raquel, a less active member whose brother attends our Hmong congregation.  As we taught her by the promptings of the Holy Ghost we helped her to reconnect with God in a powerful way and offer her first prayer in years.  She is in the court proceedings of a messy divorce and the peace that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings was just what she needed and it was just what the Lord wanted to give to her.

The Lord wants all of us to have that peace.  He wants to bless all of us, and He will bless us as we strive to live in accordance with His laws.  Get blessings!  Be obedient!

I love you all,

Elder Jared Cummings

Apparently you have already seen a picture of him, but here is Elder Bagley smiling, and winking, for the camera!  And could Dad send me the picture that President Clark sent?  If you have the one from when I came in that would be great!  I would love to keep them all in one place.

Christmas and Lights

(Anziano Wilkinson) 

So this transfer I get to stay in Pisa with Anziano Mattson! That means I get to spend Christmas here! I am counting down the the days till I get to call home and say Merry Christmas to my wonderful family! This week we have been having lots of success with showing the members the "A Savior is Born" (È Nato un Salvatore) campaign and inviting them to share it with everyone! This video, along with the opportunity to bear testimony about the savior, brings the spirit strongly every time! It is very uplifting and we hope also inspiring enough for the members to want to share that feeling/video :). This week we have been working with members a lot with this video and it had been great to visit them and help them become motivated to share it!

This week while I was reading in the Book of Mormon I found something that really stuck out to me. It was 3 Nephi 18:24, which begins "Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world." This is a concept that we are taught over and over and one that we should always be working towards every day, but sometimes we wonder what exactly we need to do to "hold up [our] light[s]". The next part of the verse explains perfectly that answer to that question when it says, "Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up--that which ye have seen me do." Basically, Christ is saying in this verse, that we hold up our lights by holding up his example, and he doesn't mean just telling other people about his example, he means living it, he means doing "that which [w]e have seen [him] do". This is such a wonderful concept! Christ's life and example was absolutely full of light; people would see his example and would want to "glorify [his] Father who is in heaven." We too should hold up the light that Christ did and we do so by mimicking the life he lived, because his life was perfectly full of light! This week, seek for ways to mimic the life of Christ so that you too can hold up the light that he held up. I promise that when you do, you will find greater joy each day and you will begin to feel the love and approval of our loving Heavenly Father in greater amounts. Imagine Christ in your shoes, imagine how he would act, then do it! It really is that simple and is more rewarding than we can even imagine.

Have a great week everyone, drink lots of egg nog for me, remember Christ this Christmas season, and hold up your lights a little higher, starting now :).

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

Hiking In December!

(Anziano Wilkinson)

The week we had a great time visiting the Cinque Terre and hiking on some of the most fun trials I've ever seen to some of the most beautiful coastal cities I've ever seen! It's absolutely gorgeous and I'm so glad I went and saw them! It is a bit strange though to be perfectly comfortable in just a T-shirt and Jeans in December, but I can't complain! I'll put some pictures at the end of this post.

This week we had some great success working with our members, especially now that the church has just brought out the new Christmas video "A Savior is Born". It's an amazing short little film that is a powerful recitation of the words of Isaiah prophesying the birth and mission of Christ. I highly recommend everyone check it out!

This transfer is only four weeks long because our mission president wanted to avoid having transfers fall so close to Christmas. Our next transfer will be eight weeks long, but it's just strange to think that this transfer is already ending so soon. Who knows, I could be on the other said of Italy in only a week! I'll be sure to keep you all updated

With the Christmas season nearing and with the coming of this new video, I have been thinking a lot about what it means me when I hear the words "A Savior is Born". That's an interesting phrase that is very unambiguous in meaning, yet it begs a lot of questions like, 'why would we need a savior?' What does it mean that we have a savior? For me that means we get to try again no matter how many times we mess up. It means that no matter how unfair life may get, we have the means to make things right, and even make them better than they were before. It means we have a perfect example and a friend that understands us perfectly, always. It means we are never alone.

A savior was born, and because of this, and because of what he did for us, we have the potential to become more than we could possibly make of ourselves. That's what it means to me that we have a savior! The Christmas season is about giving, and the best gift of all was Him. I invite everyone to visit the website for "A Savior is Born", think about what it means to you that we have a savior, then share it with everyone you know!

Have a great week, remember the savior, and enjoy some good old Christmas music for me!

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

Celebrating Thanksgiving and Serving in Summerset

(Elder Cummings)

This week I made the decision to stop numbering my emails by week.  I was studying in the Book of Mormon this week about the story of the sons of Mosiah preaching to the Lamanites.  This story is all about missionary work!  One of the first things I noticed when reading was the Aaron, probably the most well known of Mosiah's sons, went on his mission to the Lamanites without an end date.  I don't quite have the liberty of serving a mission indefinitely, but I decided that I could do more to at least lose track of time.

Elder Ballard and I have been all over Fresno this week...again.  We have had the opportunity to serve the local Hmong community by translating for a relief effort that is currently going on.  One of the major Hmong apartment complexes in Fresno, Summerset, has had the gas shut off for a few weeks, with a few weeks to go before repairs will be made.  We have taught and contacted A LOT of people in that complex and we were beginning to feel that it had been worked out.  Now doors are opening again, and not just for the chicken and rice we are bringing around!

We got into contact with Kenjie again (he lives in Summerset).  He was happy to sit down and talk about the Bible.  We had a long talk about characteristics of God with him.  He still isn't ready for us to try teaching him again.

One of my favorite people that we visit also lives in Summerset.  Her name is Niam Txhooj Vam, which translated is "Song Vang's woman."  There isn't a word for wife in Hmong.  It is part of the culture to quite literally take your husband's name, or as Hmong puts it, your man's name.  She speaks with a THICK accent and for the most part I haven't been able to understand her.  This week that changed and I had a conversation about how her children are doing, how she is doing with the gas shut off, and what she remembers about Laos.  The missionaries can never visit her and her husband without her going off about how our church "sib hlub sib pab"/love and help  like no other church.  She is great.

Her husband has been going for walks too.  He is a very frail old man who is very, very sick.  Or at least he was.  Elder Ballard gave him a blessing that promised him that he would live to accept the gospel.  His health has improved!

Thanksgiving was great.  Hmong know how to eat!  There was so much food!!  There had to be at least forty pounds of pork belly, a couple of gallons of one of the soups the make, and a dish I hadn't seen before that turned out to be uncleaned intestines.  Honestly, you wouldn't have been able to tell.  It made me grateful for the wonderful people I am here to serve.

Speaking of wonderful people, that is the exact same way my setting-apart blessing to be a missionary described the Hmong.  I was getting excited for the Christmas season this week and studying Jesus the Christ when it occurred to me that "Wonderful" is one of Christ's titles and it suddenly became profoundly significant to me that I am here in Fresno serving Wonderful people.  I have definitely come to know my Savior better in serving them.

The next transfer starts on Wednesday!  Elder Ballard and I will be staying in the Pioneer Park Area BUT we will be co-training a new missionary!!  I am very excited.  Twelve weeks ago I came into the Fresno Mission and twelve weeks later I get to welcome someone new!  We are excited for that!

Thank you all for the love and prayers that you are sending my way!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

love,

Elder A. Jared Cummings

This week Elder Ballard and I had the opportunity to talk to some very nice Hmong people in Laos from the comfort of our investigator's living room!  The gospel really can reach into every nation whether or not the governments allow missionaries in their borders!

Here is Elder Ballard reciting traditional Hmong poetry in the central market of a nice little village!

The intestines are in the dish with the big wooden spoon up and the to right a little bit.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

(Sister Cummings)

Well everyone we have kind of been hopping from computer to computer trying to get our emails done. So this week will be a littler short. Anyways this week a lot happened. For one I was able to attend the temple and to do a session of endowments. One of our members was getting her endowments out and we were able to attend with her. So I was the first Canada Montréal missionary to attend an endowment session, with my companion of course. =D

Well I just wanted to share with you all a little thought. This week we were previleged with the performance of the primary program in sacrament meeting. It was so cute! One little kid was able to shoot off the thirteenth article of faith in record time. And of course there was the usual nose picking that seems to be universal in the Church.

The theme of the event was Je sais qu'il vit. Or I know that he lives. It was not only cute but touching to see as these children gave thier testimonies. The words came to mind of a scripture that I do not remember the exact wording nor have time to find the reference. But it states something like, Out of the mouth of babes are truths shared. I beleive that I learned even more this sacrament meeting as as these children taught the basic truths of the doctrine in the most simple way possible.

I know it isn't much but I need to let my companion do her emails too. I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful week =D

A Temple Dedicated

(Sister Cummings)
Well Hello everyone! This week has been just amazing! We have seen many miracles as always, but I am going to skip right to the good part. THE TEMPLE HAS BEEN DEDICATED!

Thats right the beautiful event started on Saturday with the presentation of the youth cultural celebration. The presentation itself  was in a theatre in Montreal, however there was not enough room for even the families of the youth to attend. So it was broadcasted to church buildings all over Quebec and Ontario, and potentially all of Canada but I am not sure... Anyways the theme was "Je me Souviens" or "I Remember" Which is what is written on every quebecois license plate. The presentation featured a short ballet performance to portray the creation, a First Nations dance (to us Americans this means Native American in Canadian lingo) which was really cool with a lot of stomping around, a French Canadian Waltz, then an English Canadian jig, With a short little interlude of The French and the English having a dance battle. It was so cute! All these little canadians running around in blues and reds seeing who could dance better.

To show the immigrant cultures that have become quite prevalent in the past fifty years they did a Latina dance which was so intense my legs hurt from watching it. And finally a Hatian dance. Which was really awesome. All in all a beautiful performance and presentation as youth of Quebec and Ontario remembered where they came from and why there were here.

A huge part of why we have a temple centres around genealogy in helping those who have not had the opportunity in their life on Earth to partake in ordinances such as baptism. In the temple we can be baptized on the part of our ancestors so that they may also feel the joy of the gospel if they so choose to. The spirit was so strong as the youth shared what they had learned from their ancestors.

The kicker though was Yesterday. The big day. The dedication. Present was Elder Henry B. Eyring of the quorum of the twelve apostles, Bishop Causse, and Members of the Seventy Elders Perkins and Richards. It was beautiful. The sprint was yet again so strong but even stronger than that of the night before. As we were sitting there a feeling of peace just came over me. I myself wasn't able to attend the temple for the service but by way of satellite we were able to be evermore a part of the ceremony. It was beautiful and a feeling of peace just came over me and has not left since.

I know that my redeemer lives and I know that he loves me. And that though this love he has given us the opportunity and the invitation to enter into his temples. The Temples really are the place where we can really feel his spirit the strongest. I am so grateful to be able to be here sharing the wonderful song of redeeming love to those around me here in Quebec.

I love you all and I hope that you have an even better week than I just had.

Love

Sister Cummings

The First Baptismal Date

(Elder Cummings)

Another week has flown by!  Elder Ballard and I have been working hard this week.  We have racked up almost four hundred miles over the course of seven days driving all over the west side of Fresno teaching the gospel to the Hmong people...and to one great German man!

His name is Pieter and he is a ton of fun to visit.  His wife is Hmong and a lifelong member, making him "our" investigator.  They met in the armed forces in Germany, and Pieter has been investigating the church on and off for the last few years, and now the wait is over!  He will be baptized the weekend of December 12!  Elder Ballard and I are over the moon, as are his in-laws.  This makes me so happy!  He is coming to the covenants of salvation!

I am so grateful for the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  I cannot help but smile to think that the power of God is on the earth again, that after centuries of silence God speaks to mankind again through a prophet!  I love to share this message, and I love these people!  We read in 1 Corinthians 13 that the message of the gospel, if not spoken with charity, the pure love of Christ, it becomes "as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."  Effectively just really nice noise.  The gospel is so much more than noise!  I pray that we all can reach out to those around us in the spirit of charity so that they can understand that too.

Lots of love,

Elder Cummings

Thanksgiving

(Anziano Wilkinson)

Okay, so they sadly don't celebrate thanksgiving in Italy... But there is still great food here so I can complain too much! Last week we hadtransfers and I met my new comp Anziano Mattson! He is a wiz withanything mechanical and he loves to get his hands dirty working on fixing things. He is a really hard worker and is always trying to dowhat's right; he's a great guy. We get along well and make a good teamwhen we're working together to tackle the tasks before us. I can tell this will be a good transfer!

So now that I'm back and settled in Pisa we are hitting the road with more determination than ever to utilize our time well and help as many people as we can. We're especially working hard to involve the members in our work and just uplift the ward in general. It's been a fun transfer so far and I can't wait to see what lays in store for the rest of it!

The weather is finally changing here in Pisa and we are breaking out the jackets, sweaters,and scarves. It's so sad that it's getting cold now, but I suppose we've evaded it long enough so I can't complain! The only problem is is that it comes with a lot of really cold rain, which isn't exactly the funnest but we survive haha.

Recently I was reading in the fifth chapter of Luke and I came across the story of Christ calling Peter to be an apostle. Before meeting Christ, Peter and his fellow fishermen had been struggling in their efforts to catch anything despite the long hours they had been putting in. But after listening to the Savior give a sermon, Peter began to regard Christ as someone to be respected. At the end of his sermon, Christ tells Peter to thrust out to sea and cast his nets in the water to catch fish. Peter's response was a humble one and an important one, in which he said, "Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net."

How often to we find ourselves in a similar situation to Peter? The situation where we try our best to do what's right (in Peter's case to make an honest living) and despite our best efforts we find little success or, in Peter's case, none at all. Many time we lose hope and become doubtful when our efforts to do something prove fruitless. But we should never forget to have the humility to do just as Peter did and trust in the Lord.

Many times the Lord withholds success from us so that we can turn to him more fully and give our trust to him. It is many times our humility which unlocks the windows of heaven to pour out success upon us. For Peter, by having the humility to trust in the Lord's instructions he pulled so many fish that it filled two boats to the brink of sinking and stretched his nets nearly to the point of breaking. This same blessing of success is outstretched to us as well if we humble ourselves as Peter did! No matter how fruitless our efforts to do what is right seem at times, I promise that our efforts are not forgotten by the Lord. Instead of complaining when blessing don't come immediately, we should humble ourselves in the face of hard times, follow the Lord's council, and say to him as Peter did: "at thy word I will [keep trying]".

So if hard times happen to have washed up in your lives, I invite you to ask the Savior what he would have you do and have the humility to do whatever it is that he instructs. I promise that as you make this a pattern in your life you will find that hard times will turn into huge success, sometimes so huge that you won't even have room enough to receive it! So whatever it is that is giving you difficultly this week, don't give up on it, just keep trying to do what is right and the Lord will bless you with success.

Have great week everyone and enjoy thanksgiving!

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

(Anziano Wilkinson)

I Cant Believe Its Monday Already

(Elder Cummings)
It has been ANOTHER great week!  It has been a fast week.  I've got some doubts that this is actually Monday again.  This week has flown by.

I had my first exchange this week!  Because of scheduling conflicts we haven't had any since I made it out to Fresno.  I was with the district leader Elder Cunningham for the day.  We had some great visits with recent converts and members.  I learned a lot from how he teaches and ended the day feeling like there is a lot I could work on, but not feeling overwhelmed.  My favorite part of the day was the baptism.  That's right, I've had my first baptism!  I "baptized" on an exchange.  Not many missionaries can say that!  It was a beautiful service.  They all have been excellent.  This one has been my favorite though.  John, the person being baptized, has been investigating the church for four years, waiting to turn 18 since his parents wouldn't give permission for him to be baptized earlier.  He has waited a long time, and it was clear the he is ready!  The Spirit was so strong as he went down into the font and was baptized.  After four years of waiting he finally was given the opportunity to witness before God that he is willing to keep the commandments and to take upon himself the name of Christ.  It was a wonderful place to be.

All five of us Hmong missionaries were there for the service!  I know I haven't written about them all, and I think it is about time to introduce them.  Four of us are in Fresno and one is up in Merced training an English speaking elder.  So here they all are with John and Ritcherd, his long time friend who actually performed the baptism. 

From left to right we have my trainer Elder Ballard.  He and I get along so well.  We have the same interests, the same quirky sense of humor, and in teaching we play off of each other very well.  It has been great being his companion!  Next to him is Elder Cunningham, our district leader.  He was my companion for the day and is from the tiny town of Koo-Sharem, Utah.  I'm sure I didn't spell that right.  A state champion long jumper and a powerful missionary!  In the white we have John on the left and Ritcherd on the right.  They have grown up together both at school and in the church.  Ritcherd and his dad are the only Latinos in our Hmong ward and we love them!  Next we've got Elder Napton, Elder Cunningham's companion.  Apparently I am supposed to be wrestling him some time soon, but if that has to wait I won't be heartbroken.  Other than me he is the youngest of us Hmong missionaries and has been out for just over a year.  Skip over me and then you have Elder Pace.  I don't know him too well.  I've seen him four or five times at most.  He is the one who is serving in Merced right now.  The other elders all talk about him and love him to death!  We have an extremely solid Hmong program.  We have three more coming to the mission on December 2, Elders Bagley, Biggs, and Grey.  We are excited to meet them soon.

I love being a missionary!  It has so far been the best experience of my life!  All of you who have the opportunity should make every effort to go.  You will never regret serving the Lord.  I hope you all have a great week!

Elder Jared Cummings

A Week of Miracles

(Sister Cummings)
First off I am just going to say that we still have not gotten lost thanks to many prayers. All in all there were about 8,000 people who visited the temple this week and I go to be there for about 4,000 of them. We worked everyday this week taking the hour and a half drive to get there, sometimes needing to wake up at 5:00 am in order to make it on time. I actually started getting cramps in my legs from driving our aged car from our end of the island to the other. But it was worth the sacrifice.

We were able to see so many miracles in being there. For example there was a moment when I and my companion were working in the reception tent and I was helping people at the information counter when a woman came up who only spoke spanish. Now the area I am serving in used to be full of spanish speaking people, however with certain changes in the area boundaries we actually do not teach in spanish all that often. So I have not really had the time to learn Spanish as I am trying to perfect my French. Well with that being said I really do not speak Spanish. Anyways so I started helping this woman, she pointed to one of the pamphlets that we had about genealogy asking if she could take it. I said she could but we only had those ones in French however we did have these other pamphlets that were in spanish, they were the same thing but just smaller. I then invited her to fill out one of the comment cards. Which is a pretty normal conversation except it was a little different this time because I WAS SPEAKING FLUENT SPANISH. One of the sisters serving from Mexico commented on how good my accent was and asked if I had spoken spanish at home... Well lets just say the gift of tongues is real and that that woman probably really needed that pamphlet because God performed a miracle to give it to her.

Another miracle happened a little later in the original form of an adversity. This entire week our car has been just having problems. Hmmm Funny how it just happens to be on this week of all weeks where the House of the Lord would be open to the public. Anyways one of the main problems has been that randomly our trunk opens. As in, getting of the highway and suddenly it just pops right open and we can't close it. We had talked to one of leaders and he had showed us what to do when it happened. SO one morning we were running a little late to the temple, we had hit some unexpected traffic and had turned onto an empty road. There was literally no one there when suddenly our trunk opens. We obviously pull over to the side of the road and try doing what our leader had shown us. It didn't work. We tried again. Nope. Nothing. Before reverting to insensible slamming of the trunk multiple times we called our leader and he wasn't available. Finally I said a prayer. I had just finished when a man comes out of literally nowhere. The road was completely empty and then this guy is just there. He comes up and in perfect English (which was quite rare for the area that we were in at that time which is known as the most french area) shows us how to close our trunk. And it works. I don't think I have ever been so grateful in my life for someone who could show me how to push buttons. After saying thanking him we got back into the car and...the guy had vanished. We are pretty sure it was one of the three Nephites or an angel. Because that was actually the day that we could not be late to. The most people came through the temple and the most miracles happened.

Now I don't really have too much time to continue but I did want to share one last miracle. We were working the video rooms which consisted of inviting people into the room giving a short speech very similar to a flight attendant speech and then starting the video. It was early in the week so not as many people were coming. Our tour group ended up being only two non-member men. We had some time to get to know them and we asked if they had ever been in a temple before. One had never been in a temple but he had lived two blocks away from the Oakland California temple for about ten years and had always wanted to visit a temple. The other his grandmother had been a member but his mother had never been baptized or was interested in the gospel. But he had started looking into the church when he had stumbled upon the temple open house. Now this was maybe our fiftieth time doing the introductory speech and watching the video but this time was different for some reason. he spirit was very strong and after the video we saw that both men were crying. AND THAT WAS ONLY THE VIDEO. We did not get to see them after their tour but I am confident that they had felt the spirit even stronger.

I am so grateful I was able to be a part of the temple open house here in Montreal. This was a moment I realized I was quite prepared to be a part of. The chances of people able to be a part of it at the exact last transfer of my mission where my French is at its best and I have become aware of how to follow the spirit was amazing. I am so glad that I could be a part of this wonderful experience. I love every single one of you and I hope you have a wonderful week.

Love

Sister Cummings

The Indian Summer and the GPS Miracle

So as I mentioned last week the temple has been finally opened to the public after nearly 18 months of restoration. And with its opening we are seeing many many miracles. It is part of my job during this open house to welcome people into the reception tent after the tour and ask them how they enjoyed the temple. Everyone says the exact same thing "It was breathtaking!" It doesn't matter who it is or what their background is every single person has said the exact same thing. Breathtaking, peaceful, and full of love.

It seems that the weather is also celebrating this beautiful opportunity. We are  experiencing what is called an Indian Summer by these Canadians. A random moment where it suddenly gets warm in mid November. Yes it was snowing two weeks ago but I have not had to wear a coat for the last four days.

Now I wanted to share a story. Shortly following our emails last Monday, all the sisters in the mission had a training by Elder Richards, a member of the seventy. We had arrived a little early as had been requested, and were sitting in the sacrament room waiting for Elder Richards to come. It was reverently quiet in the room as all the sisters were taking the moment to study the scriptures and further prepare for the training.

So flashback a little. Here in our mission if we would like to have a GPS we need to provide it. I had a GPS that my family had sent me about a year ago. It is our family GPS that was would use before people started having iPhones and hadn't really been in use until I started to use it out here. When I left Lemoyne the sisters were begging and pleading that I leave it there so that they could use it. Seeing as my new companion had one in her possession I lent it to them. Now flash forward to the meeting. It was after this meeting that we would be transferring and with that transfer I would lose my companion AND her GPS. So we had called the sisters to try to get my GPS back.

So as we are sitting in the sacrament room of the chapel waiting for Elder Richards feeling the spirit the Lemoyne Sisters lean over to me and mention that my GPS had stopped working and it wasn't charging anymore. Boom. Freakout moment. We were an hour and a half away from our area. Which hour and a half included driving directly through the middle of the Island of Montreal. AKA a rather large City. I started stressing out hard core. But still wanting to be ready for the meeting I tried my hardest to focus on the scriptures.

Well it didn't work right away so I turned to my study journal that contained all of my notes on conferences and trainings I had attended. One word kept standing out. "Adversity." Hmm... I wonder why.... Anyways I decided to study adversity in the scriptures. The very first scripture I turned to was D&C 58:2-4 which talks about how though there be hard times now blessings will come in the future.

Now this is the moment that is miraculous. I found peace.

It wasn't because my GPS just started working or anything like that. Nor was it that I just forgot about it. The Lord brought to mind my very very first day in the field as a missionary. We were in the Middle of Montreal, no GPS and I was supposed to drive. I hadn't really driven in about a year, not including the one or two excursions I had ventured the month before I started my mission. And driving really stressed me out. Especially highways. Well we decided to say a prayer. Then started driving.  I have never been so confident and calm while driving that day. And my companions directions consisted of "I think it is that way."  But some way unbeknownst to us we arrived at our apartment in Mascouche without getting lost. Not even once.

After remembering this I realized something else. I had served above the Island, on the Island and below the island. I had served in every area I needed to in order to make my way to the temple and back.

Peace came into my heart as I realized that I could trust the Lord. He had shown me that before and he had prepared me for this moment. I needed this peace because afterwards when we began our training and had a personal tour by a member of the seventy of the church through the temple I received an answer to my prayers that I was in sore need for. If I had been distracted by how I would get home I would not have been able to receive that answer.

I love you all and if there is anything that you can get from this weeks email I would like to give my testimony that I know that God blesses those that trust him. I got home safely that night and I have gotten home safely every night since and have never once been lost. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

There is no end to truth!

This week has been my favorite yet.  This church is true and the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ brings more joy than we can presently comprehend.  Elder Ballard and I have seen the miracle of conversion in action over these last seven days and we are excited to move the work forward!

Saturday morning I attended a funeral for the second time in my life.  The first was for a neighbor who passed away after cancer complications.  This one was for a newborn baby girl.  Both were sad occasions for the families and those in attendance.  No one wants to see a loved one go.

With death on my mind so often, it makes sense that my studies and my thoughts have been on the Plan of Salvation this weekend.  There is so much joy that comes from knowing the plan!  Everything makes more sense in context, and in the context of eternal truth death is not the end!  Through Jesus Christ we all can overcome spiritual death, estrangement from God as a result of sin, and physical death, the separation of the body and spirit.  Death is a necessary part of God's plan.  Not even the greatest of all of us, the Savior of mankind, could reach a fullness of glory and power without it.  Death must proceed immortality and eternal life.  If it was not an essential part of God's plan for us then the Resurrection would not have been a central tenant of Christ's earthly ministry.  We read in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 that "now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." 

To paraphrase Linda S. Reeves in the General Women's Session of this last conference, happy endings come at the end of the play.  We do not find them in act one, the pre-existence, or in act two, life on earth.  Our happy ending will come in the eternities living with God again!  As the Prophet Thomas S. Monson testified, "No one is foreordained to inherit less than all their Father hath."  God's plan for us is to be sealed as families in the temple for time and all eternity--that is how we live up to our divine potential and become like our Father.  He loves us and wants us to grow up to be perfect, just like him.  This is made possible through the temple sealing.  No one is foreordained not to have that blessing.  Christ lived, died, and lives again so that we can go to the temple and make sacred covenants of marriage with our spouses that will unite our families together forever.  Without temple sealing then we could never become like God, and the Atonement of Christ would never be utilized to its full extent.  The ultimate end of Christ's sacrifice is that families can be together forever.

I am so grateful for the blessing it has been to be raised in a home with parents who understand that.  I am grateful for grandparents and great-grandparents who have made the sacrifices and come to the covenants of God.  I am eternally grateful, in the most literal sense, to live with my family and all my loved ones forever.

These blessings are real and they are available to all who live worthy of them.  Death is not the end.  If we choose righteously there will be no end to the joy of our existence.

Have a blessed week you all!

With love,

Elder Cummings

Back to Pisa

We got transfer calls this past week and the news is I'll be going back to Pisa again! My new comp's name is Anziano Mattson and I will be meeting him there tomorrow. All I know about him at the moment is that he is going into his fifth transfer. It'll be interesting to see how we manage since we're both still pretty green! It's crazy to think that I'm already done with my first two transfers and am therefore finished with my training. I still have so much more to learn to be able to feel comfortable with the language, but then again I'm not sure I will ever be satisfied with it haha.

We worked hard in Livorno and I grew really close to my two companions Anziani Brown and Jensen. Both are amazing guys, full of laughter and desires to work hard! I learned a lot from them and with them and I hope to get the chance to serve with them again sometime in the future!

I've really enjoyed the past few weeks that I've been in Livorno. It's really opened my eyes to to how much the Lord supports us. I've had many conversations in Italian in the past few weeks, a thing I didn't think was possible after only four months of studying a language. But not only that, I have seen hearts change and ears open with the words that we have said. Not because of our ability to speak eloquently, or even intelligently, but because the spirit spoke for us where we lacked. The Lord does not expect us to be perfect, he only expects is to try, and when we try our best, he magnifies our efforts!

Sorry for the short email, I don't have much time to write today! Anyway, have a great week everyone!

Miracles

(Anziano Wilkinson)

This week was a very successful one for us! We had some great lessons and I continue to meet more great people everyday. One of our lessons was with a man named Gabriele, who is absolutely amazing. We teach him in English because he speaks perfect English (He translates/makes RPG board games from English to Italian for a living, way cool if you ask me!)

Gabriele has been an investigator for a good bit of time, but he is starting to make progress again. He is reading the Book of Mormon with greater depth than most members (and amazingly doing it in English, not his native language). He brought up a really good question in our lesson about miracles. He told us about how often in the news and in traditional Catholicism there are miracles like crying Mother Mary statues and other somewhat odd claims. He seemed rightfully skeptical and asked us if we believe in miracles.

We explained that we do believe in miracles, but to illustrate the kind of miracles we believe in, we had Anziano Brown share a miracle story that had happened to his family only two days earlier. Anziano Brown explained that his family has never had much money and also that he  as a brother who is severely mentally handicapped. His dad co-owns  a charity (basically it's a Free Store) which helps people get up on their  eet again. A few years back this charity helped a woman who was in dire need. This woman recently won a lawsuit for a huge sum of money. Her first move was to find this charity that helped her out and give back. Catching wind that the Brown family was in need of a new house, she offered to have one built, specialized to accommodate Anziano Brown's special need bother.

This miracle story brought the spirit very strongly and we could not help but bear our testimonies to Gabriele that God does indeed love us and answers prayers. Know that our Heavenly Father is watching over us and is always there for us in our times of need. I know that he answers prayers, whether it be through grand miracles like the one that happened to the Brown family or little ones when we need them. Miracles are real. And as long as Heavenly Father lives that will always be true!

Have a great week everyone! Be a miracle for someone this week!

(On a side note, I had the best burger I've ever had in my life in a small burger shop in downtown Livorno; I feel like I'm betraying America by saying that, but I'll just defend myself by saying, Italy really knows how to do food!)

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

Yes! Candians do celebrate Halloween!

(Sister Cummings)
Well to be honest I don't really have time today to write much plus not too much has happened this week. It felt kind of like the quiet before the storm, with Hurricane temple being forecasted in the near future with the opening of the doors to the public this Wednesday. Our Preparation day is even cut short in order to have training. But none the less this is what happened this week. First off before I forget, we received our transfer calls early and it seems that Sister Rawlings will be leaving me to go English speaking. However I will be receiving Sister Blanc! She was my third companion in the field and I am sooooo excited to have her (and her food) with me again! =D Anyways let us continue...

Yup thats right elders with swords. Scary experience. Sister Rawlings and I gave a training in our district on the amour of god and how obedience is our protection in our work relating each piece to a certain council that we are given such as studies, planning and of course the sword of the spirit. As we had about three weeks to plan the training we decided to make it intense. Each Elder got a sword and Sister Rawlings and I made bets on who would break it first. We were right.

This week was the ward Halloween party where we found our buddy the Canadian Mounty. Hmm sometimes I forget I am in a different country, mind you everyone here speaks French but still somehow it is more of a culture shock to see a little kid running around in a red uniform on Halloween than ordering food in French. Either way Sister Rawlings and I took the initiative to make our mission to Canada complete by taking a picture with a Mounty. Check!

​The day of Halloween was pretty hard. We literally had no one to see planned. But we called up a few people and it turned out to the one of the best Halloweens ever! We started off with raking leaves, a perfect fall activity. Then we decorated someone’s house for a Halloween party and finally we passed by a family just as they were getting ready to carve pumpkins! So we helped them out =D Things got pretty intense once the power tools were brought out =D

Well I hope to have even better pictures next week! I love you all!

Choose the Right, Be Changed by Your Choices

(Elder Cummings)
This week Elder Ballard and I had the opportunity to teach a lesson at a baptism.  In the ward that we are in there are always 4-6 missionaries who live in the same apartment complex (when transfers come we walk across the parking lot), attend all dinner appointments together, and teach one of the missionary lessons at the other companionship's baptisms.

The baptism was for Ler Vang and it was incredible!  He loves the gospel of Jesus Christ and has changed his life for it.  Even though Elder Ballard and I haven't had an "success" as it is often phrased, it makes us both so full of joy to see others come unto Christ.  It is always wonderful.

We taught about the Plan of Salvation and the role that the Gospel of Jesus Christ plays in it.  As we were teaching I impressed myself with how fluidly the Hmong just rolled off of my tongue.  The only time I thought in English as I spoke was also the only time I didn't have a word to say.  I felt the Spirit very strongly.  Earlier that day I felt the Spirit the same way when translating the members' testimonies in sacrament meeting.  The ability to speak and translate a language is a talent, a gift, and not one that comes without work.  God does not bless us unless we are actively working for the blessings we desire.

The closing hymn for the baptism was number 116, "Come, Follow Me," and verse three touched me.  It reads:

Is it enough alone to know

That we must follow him below,

While trav'ling thru this vale of tears?

No, this extends to holier spheres.

That is a pretty good question!  Is it enough for us to only live a good life now in mortality?  No, it isn't.  Why isn't it?  We read in the Book of Alma that "this life is a time for men to prepare to meet God" (Alma 34:32).  If we intend to be prepared then we cannot make a temporary commitment.  We cannot commit to this life only.  Heaven is heaven because those who make it there have become heavenly through their mortal experience.  God is an all knowing God.  He knows what choices we will make, he knows how it will end for each of us.  As hard as we try we can never surprise our Father in Heaven.  If mortality is only about the choosing the right then it is a vain existence.  We are here to become something.  As a result of our choices we become the people worthy of the highest of all blessings, eternal life.  If we are not changed by the choices we make then the choice hardly matters.

This is a period of growth.  It is a perfectly personal test.  It is the refiners fire.  Through the righteous use of moral agency we can return to live with God and live up to our birthright.  No one is predestined to fail.  My prayer is for all of us to not just choose the right, but to be changed by our choices.  Blessings are there and they are limitless.  All that remains is for us to become worthy of them.

I love you all.  Have a wonderful week!

Elder Cummings

Shoua's Halloween costume.  Shoua is hands down my favorite person I have met on my mission so far.  She is a fantastic sister with an amazing conversion story.

This is a teaser for Hmong New Years (starts December 26!), but these are Hmong clothes!  Back in Thailand and Laos this (minus the white shirts and ties) is what would be normal wear for farming.

Speaking of Lao, Elder Ballard has taught me a few characters, and I am just barely starting to learn how to read.  I know about five characters out of about sixty.  It is a cool language.