Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Many miracles, many languages, many fun memories

(Elder Cummings)
Hello all!  This week has been full of amazing blessings and treasured experiences.  It has all flown by so fast.

As of yesterday, it has now been a year since I graduated high school.  Where has the time gone?  I cannot believe it has been that long already.  This time last year I still had no idea what Hmong really was, but my bags were getting packed ready to go find out.

I still don't really know what Hmong is, but I learn more every day.  Just this last Saturday I was trying to ask an older woman "what do you think about that?"  but instead informed her that "you are offended."  After assuring us that she wasn't offended by anything we had said I remembered an MTC instructor saying something about how he had made the same mistake on his mission.  Elder Bagley and I also volunteered to help a member of our ward tear down some chicken coops in his backyard.  The Hmong are a very resourceful people, and it was an enjoyable experience to take apart the coups and guess what the wood had come from.  I made war with black widows that night, and even got to hold my first rooster!

Sou will be getting baptized this Saturday!  The Hmong branch here in Merced covers the YSA aged Southeastern Asian population.  When we first met Sou he had no real comprehension of what Christianity is, and now he has a burning testimony of Jesus Christ, of His gospel, and of the restoration through Joseph Smith.  The change that has come into his life has been amazing to watch.

Elder Bagley and I have been so blessed to work together for these last few weeks.  We are having a great time being back together.  In the car we are either speaking English, White Hmong, Green Hmong, or broken Spanish together.  It is a great time.

Elder Bagley's Spanish is much better than mine.  Two weeks ago we checking up on less-active members when we ran into a hispanic woman, Maria, who was getting ready to move.  She had met missionaries in the past, and told us that she knew that we were messengers from God.  She was so grateful to have ran into missionaries.  Elder Bagley, who had been leading the conversation, said a prayer for her and we gave her information over to the Spanish elders.  Yesterday they told us that Maria will be getting baptized!  That was a tender mercy, to know that we played even a small part in helping her.

I hope you all told your dads that you loved them yesterday.  I wasn't able to due to mission rules, so I am going to take the opportunity now.  I love you Dad!

I hope you all are having a great summer!
With love,

Elder A. Jared Cummings

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