Week Two

Well, it is pretty hard for me to grasp, but I have already been here for twelve days!  Time has really been flying, I can tell you that much.  My Hmong is coming along great.  I am able to teach SIMPLE lessons with no notes or too much language preparation.  I really find it amazing how quickly I'm learning.  I don't know where I will be at the end of these nine weeks, but I want to say it will much better than I had reason to hope for when I entered the MTC.

This week didn't come with as many funny Hmong moments (I guess that is a good thing), but we did have some other "fun" things happen.  My companion and I were locked out of our dorm room for example and I officially have lost my first sock in the laundry.  Some fun mission experiences right there!

Two of the other Elders in my district (a group of missionaries learning the same language) are native Hmong speakers and we will be seeing them off next week.  It is sad to see such great walking dictionaries leave us, but it is for the best.  They are nervous to go out into the mission field though.  Most Hmong speakers cannot read and write their own language, and that goes for these guys too.  They have picked it up faster than the rest of us--as expected--but they still don't feel very strong with the written language. Here they do sacrament service speaking assignments here is they have all the missionaries in the zone (a group of districts) prepare a talk on the same topic and then in Sacrament Meeting they announce who the speakers will be.  They called both John Vangs to speak this last week, so we spent much of sacrament meeting listening to the Elders Vang teach and testify about baptism.  They both did a great job.  We are really going to miss them.

We got Paj Vmw to commit to be baptized this last week!  That was a neat experience.  We did it just in time too.  Our first "investigator" became another one of our language instructors the very next day.  We start teaching our second investigator today and our third investigator tomorrow.  I will definitely let you know how that goes.  Teaching in Hmong has been my favorite part of the MTC experience so far.  On a side note, we figured out that Paj Vwm translates to crazy flower.  That made all us Elders smile.  Paj Vwm really does not fit that description.

I've been pondering a few scriptures this week that I have found to be insightful.  I may not quote these right, I'm going off of memory, but two are from 1 Corinthians and I think the references are 6:20, "Wherefore you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's", and 7:23 "You have been bought with a price, be ye not the servants of men".  It has had be thinking about all the times I don't act to glorify God, all the times that I serve myself, me being very much a man.  How many times have I served the wrong master?  This has had me wanting to be more committed to getting outside myself and my own desires and really working on self mastery.

The next verses come from Mather 6:25-30.  I'm not going to quote all of these, but there is one verse that reads something along the lines of "Wherefore if God so clothes the grass of the fields which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he provide for you, of ye of little faith?"  This verse has given me peace when I have felt undue stress with the rate at which I have to learn here and just wondering if things will work out.  All it has taken is some thinking about "do I really believe this" and I have been back in a good peaceful mindset.

The last thing I want to share comes from the Old Testament.  I don't think I will get the reference right, so I will just give the background.  The verse I have in mind is from the story of Moses and the burning bush.  In this chapter God declares to Moses that his (Jehovah's) name is "I AM THAT I AM."  It took me a while to come to conclusions about why that was so significant.  There are four other references to that name, "I AM," one in the New Testament and three in the Doctrine and Covenants.  It occurred to me after a half-hour or so that Christ is the only one who can declare His existence by virtue of His existence.  All of us to not exist of our own power, only Christ does.  Only Christ was saved by His own power.  He is that He is and that is unique to Him. 

Well, I have to get going.  Thank you to all of you who wrote back to me!  It was nice to hear from you.  I promise that I (might) send some pictures next week so you can see what the other Hmong Elders look like.

love,

Elder Jared Cummings

Ramming Speed

Dear friends and family:

So, last night I found out that Elder Storm and I are staying together for another transfer! (My last transfer!) It's really odd to think that there's only one transfer left on my mission. I remember celebrating my one-month mark in the MTC and thinking, 'that took forever. I've still got a long, long time to go.'

I'm very excited for my last transfer here with Elder Storm. He is a little bit upset that he is staying in Miami for another transfer, because it means that he will be here for another transfer after that as well. But I don't mind, I love Miami!

This week Maxime and his kids came to church again. He was gone for most of the week, because of his job, driving a truck throughout the United States, and when he got back we only had time to teach him one quick lesson (reviewing the restoration) before we had to return home on Saturday night. He came to church on Sunday, but then was too busy for us to see him that night. And yesterday he left again for several days. He and his sons have a date for this Saturday, but it's not going to happen unless he returns from his trip very early in the week, and so we have time to teach him all of the lessons and get him interviewed. Either way, we are going to make sure that they become Mormons! And sooner, rather than later!

Other than that, almost all of our investigators dropped off this week again, so we are back to the drawing board for that. But the North Miami Beach elders sent us two referrals that we are excited to follow-up on tomorrow.

We have made a goal for this last transfer of baptizing five people. Our first transfer together, we didn't find anybody to be baptized; but our second transfer, we baptized 2.5 people. So this transfer I'll finish strong and we'll find, teach, and baptize another five. Maxime and his sons will be three, so we only really need to find two other prepared souls.

For those of you who don't already know: My parents received another daughter from the foster adopt system. Her name is Neveah. (Heaven spelled backwards, with the two vowels flip-flopped.) That makes in total: three siblings that I have now that I didn't have at the beginning of my mission, who I have never personally met. For one of them, Liv, we are going to the temple to be sealed as a family in the week or two after I get back.

Thanks,

Elder Slade

#didijustcurse?

So first off a funny story.

Saturday I was asked by a member of the bishopric to give a talk the following day in sacrament meeting...I literally could only find one hour to try to compile a talk on prayer that I could give in FRENCH the following day. It was intense. Obviously I was stressed out but with the help of a missionary from France I managed to find the vocabulary I needed. Well sort of... It turned out that my source wasn't the most reliable.

So here is a little culture thing...Quebec may speak French, but not all the words mean the same thing. Very similar to how the word "bloody" is a bad word in England and not in the United States. So as I was trying to describe the sequences of events from last week involving a Bird pooping in my shoe. I ended up saying a perfectly good sentence that would have been acceptable in France but in Quebec... Either way I ended up saying the equivalent of the S word for Quebecers from the pulpit. But they forgave me and many actually said they felt the spirit during my talk.

Other than that this week has been absolutely amazing! Sister Ladd and I have been able to go around doing good nearly every moment of this week! Our goal of reaching twenty lessons a week is no longer some long dreamed of vision but is becoming a reality as we slowly but surely increase our teaching pool. Our week has consisted in acquainting ourselves with the people of our area. Though I have been in Lemoyne a total of five transfers I had always been working in the North area, but with the Elders not having a car last transfer it was needful that we switch to the Southern area. We filled our days with contacting former investigators and visiting potential investigators that past missionaries had tracted into months and years before. With all of the work which we did it seemed so much easier for us to see the miracles that God gave us.

For example while going through the potentials list we decided to swing by the house of someone the Elders had helped take out the trash two years before. When we knocked on the door, an Italian woman answered. After hearing our introductions and Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it didn't take long for her to swing into a rant on how organized religion is the worst thing on the planet and how God did not exist because how could there be so many bad things happening. Not your most civil of conversations. In wondering how we could help this woman we were both saying prayers in our hearts. The thought came into my head to look around. Seeing the beauty of this woman's garden, I complimented it. A change came over this woman completely. She smiled as she started talking about it, and then invited us in so that we may see the backyard.

It was just breathtaking. As any true Italian there was an awning covered in grapevines, with beautiful grapes on it. Copious amounts of flowers and a giant apple tree. I imagine stepping into this woman's backyard has close to the same feelings as stepping into the Garden of Eden, it was just that beautiful. After exclaiming the beauty of this place, we quickly stepped into a conversation on a more spiritual note. And though this woman had stated she didn't believe in God she sat in rapt attention as we sang to her a popular hymn called "For the Beauty of the Earth." Which talks of the greatness of a God willing to give us so many beautiful places on this planet. We talked about what this song meant and then testified of Jesus Christ. This woman was so happy that she gave us two giant jars of homemade apple juice (which is by far the best apple juice I have ever tasted) and Lindt chocolates. The difference from the woman we had met at the door and the one we now saw was night and day.

So often out here our we as missionaries judged. People do not see the help that we can give them. Our names our proceeded with gossip and prejudice making it nearly impossible to speak to people. But the thought has come, Do I judge and prejudge my fellowmen? Is not the bum on the side of the road just as in need of a message of God's love as is the well dressed woman heading to work? Do we find ourselves judging others when perhaps they have something that they can teach us. I am so grateful for this beautiful and wonderful moment that I have to serve here in Montreal among the Quebecois. Even if the Language proves to be difficult at times I know that I am in the right place at the right time. I thank you all for the prayers that you send my way. And I pray that you may all have a blessed and amazing week. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Break-Neck Speed

Things have been going great here during my first week at the MTC. From day one we have been flying at break-neck speeds but it's been a great experience. Our instructors have been speaking almost exclusively Italian to us since out first class but we're catching on quickly. We taught our first lesson on Friday and we've taught three more since... each one in only Italian. My companion Anziano Blackwell and I have been getting better with each lesson and and we're starting to get a good feel for the language. Humility has been a recurring theme for me since I have to accept the fact that I literally can't do this without the Help of our Heavenly Father, but as I've humbled myself I have found greater success and comprehension than I could even dream of by my own strength.

The food here is better than I've always heard, but we'll see how my opinion changes after my five more weeks here (PS yes mom, I am drinking more than just chocolate milk and yes, I am eating my vegetables).

I know that the work that I am embarking on is the work of God and I know that I am called to this mission for a purpose. I can testify that without God that I, we, are nothing and that with him we are everything. I can't wait to see you all at the end of two short years! Ciao!

Love,

Anziano Wilkinson

Little time

Dear friends and family:

I don't have much time today, unfortunately.

Things are going well. We dropped the family of 8 that we were teaching. (They came to church because they wanted to visit, but they said that they didn't like the way that we worshiped.)

But part way through the week, a Haitian man who was driving around in his car stopped Elder Mears and Elder Robishaw while they were biking (no, he didn't hit them) and asked them if they were Mormons. They explained that yes, they were, expecting him to be anti because of the way that he asked it. Instead, he said, "so when can you guys come by and visit me?" We went by to see him and his family the next day, and he was excited to come to church. He had been to church with us one time, seven years ago, and he told us that he didn't like the way other churches ran things, but he was very impressed with the "Mormon church" and he told us it was the only church he would ever consider going to consistently. Yesterday, he came to church with two of his sons (ages 8 and 9) and they all enjoyed church a lot.

Thanks,

Elder Slade

Nyob Zoo!

Hey all!

I am officially done with my first week of missionary service and my first week at the Missionary Training Center!  Time has flown by very fast here. My companion and I are getting along great.  His name is Elder LaRose and he's from the Ogden area.  We are getting along very well and I'm expecting that to continue. 

Learning the language has been...not that bad!  We have already taught two twenty minute lessons in just Hmong.  I can bear testimony, pray, and nod like I understand everything that is said back to me.  There have definitely been some funny mistakes however.  Hmong is a tonal language (the last consonant, or lack thereof, indicates the tone) so even a slight change in pronunciation can change the sentence completely.  For example, in our first lesson we taught (here at the MTC we teach actors the missionary discussions for practice) my companion and I introduced ourselves as "the husband" or tus txiv instead of as "missionaries" tub txib.  Yes, we still got in the door.  The next night I was saying a prayer before the other Hmong Elders (Es Daws) and I split for the night.  I was actually doing a really good job, trying to stretch myself beyond the phrases we had been taught already and I ended up expressing gratitude for "Jesus Christ's Atonement dress" instead of "Jesus Christ's Atonement and..." (tiab versus thiab).  Another note on Hmong--the consonants aren't pronounced the same way that they are in English.  The "t" makes an English "d" and the "th" makes an English "t".  In all honesty though, I took Spanish for four years and in the span of four days I would say my Hmong is nearing the confidence of my Spanish.  I am astonished by how quickly I am learning the language.  I know that I am learning beyond my capacities.  The gift of tongues is real.

One thing that has been on my mind this week is humility.  That is something I struggle with.    Learning Hmong has definitely been a humbling process.  The instructors here haven't spoken any English to us since we arrived, and as much progress as I am making with the language, I still feel pretty lost when the native speakers rattle off answers in class.  Learning Hmong is teaching me that I am not the best.  As I have demonstrated frequently this week, I am not perfect at living life or speaking Hmong, but that hasn't been lost on me.  I am starting to appreciate that compared to Christ's infinity we are all zero.  No matter how good I may be at calculus or playing the piano I hopelessly fall short of perfection.

It has also dawned on me this week that you really have to love the people you teach.  Our "investigator" Paj Vwm can definitely frustrate my companion and I with his rapid fire Hmong. He does it to help us grow, but that doesn't mean it is fun, for us at least.  When I have allowed myself to really feel a love for him, even though he is just an actor, I have not only been better able to articulate myself better in a language I have four days of exposure to, but I have been able to understand his questions and comments correctly and without asking him to slow down.  The gift of tongues is real, and I would say it comes more from loving the people than from anything else.  Honestly though, my favorite moments from my mission so far have all been from those lessons.  We've been trying to teach him about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  To give you an idea of how much information that is to cover, this website gives a quick summary http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/restoration.  Trying to teach all that in Hmong...we bit off more than we could chew at first but it is coming along.  Hmong feels so natural to me.  I love it!

Week One is down!  Eight more to go before I arrive in California!  I am so excited to go teach.  I am so grateful for the opportunities and challenges this mission has already blessed me with!  I know that I am doing a great work, or rather that I am putting my best foot forward and God is accomplishing miracles.

- Elder Cummings (Es Daws Koob Meej)

Air Raid

This week has been amazing! We had transfers and it was really hard to say goodbye to Sister Ford but in meeting with Sister Ladd I immediately felt better. Sister Ladd is a fun sized Ethiopian who was adopted when she was young and grew up in Vermont. She is the Bomb.com and her ability to make people laugh is over the top amazing.

Now I would love to rave about my new companion but I don't have too much time. So I'll save the description of her awesomeness for the following weeks. =D

But now down to the highlight of my week. There's a saying that I am absolutely certain everyone has heard, that is "to every cloud there is a silver lining." I can testify to that and here is why my testimony was even farther strengthened this week.

It was a beautiful sunshiny day. The birds were chirping in the local park where we were meeting with one of our recent converts. It being hot and humid, my new companion and I removed our shoes in the hopes that we could cool down and avoid the dreaded sweat marks that just are not becoming of a Sister missionary. While reading the Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ, we were so overcome with the spirit that we did not hear the voice of warning as a bird called to us, I am sure the chirp he was giving could have been translated to "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Because just then this giant seagull let free his digested waste in the most strategic maneuver that it could very easily be compared to a World War II bombing trail. This guy must have thought he was Maverick or something because his trail left two deposits of poop inside of my shoe, one on my shoulder and one on my hair. Quite the cloud if I would say so myself.

But as I said, every cloud has a silver lining. Which starts with this. After reading in the Bible about prayer I had determined to make every matter of my day a matter of prayer so that I could "pray always." Sometimes it sure felt silly, but when I looked at my shoes one day which had become worn and tattered from the year of using them nearly every day, I decided to say a prayer. That went somewhat along the lines of "do I need to replace my shoes." Well He answered it. So now with worn, tattered, and pooped on shoes we ran to the closest shoe store and within the ten minutes we had before our next appointment found a pair of black leather flats that looked cute. The price tag wasn't too bad at twenty dollars so we grabbed them and went to the counter to pay for them. And this is where I knew that God had not only answered my prayer to if I should buy new shoes but also when should I. For the certain pair of shoes that I had chosen were on sale. I ended up buying them for four dollars. Whats more it was the last day that they were having this sale.

So yes it is a silly story but what counts is that I received an answer to my prayer. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and even in my simple and small requests he answers prayers. I know that everything that happens happens for a reason and that it is a part of his loving plan. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have had to be here on my mission serving