The Truck Gives Perspective & Baptisms for the living and the Dead

(Elder Cummings)

This week was a landmark week.  After months of consistent effort I have finally hit double-digits for lessons taught with members present.  Before my mission I did not appreciate the value of members in missionary work.  I saw it as a way to prepare for a mission, not as a way to powerfully and effectively teach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  As full-time missionaries we do our best to teach with Christlike love, but it is the lay members of the church who come and teach with us that most effectively bring in a spirit of charity.  My vision of how the work of salvation progresses has been greatly enlarged by my mission experience.

We have a new truck...again.  This one is a better looking color, drives smoother, is newer, etc.  I have been with Elder Gray for three full weeks.  In that time we were driving a 2017 Chevy Malibu, then a 2016 Nissan Rouge, a 2014 Nissan Frontier, and now a 2015 Frontier.  This is not normal.  A long list of unforeseen events, none of them car crashes, had us changing cars every 5-6 days.  About six months ago I went from the smallest and most basic apartment in the mission to the largest with the most "luxury" features.  Within three weeks I went from holding no leadership position to overseeing all missionary efforts in 12 wards and branches, and the missionaries who served there.  Because of my leadership responsibilities I receive more money for food monthly (we are on the road a lot more, so this ends up getting spent up at McDonalds).  In summary I rapidly was given, as the world might define it, more money, more power, and more cool toys.  From almost none to almost having no room to get more.  I was reflecting on this as we drove up from Fresno on Wednesday.  All of these changes have not done anything to make me happier.  Happiness does not come from having more.  I am grateful for what really matters.  I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Bertha and Jessica were baptized this last Saturday!  It was a wonderful service!  Their friend who was going to baptize them was sick, so Elder Gray and I threw on our white pants, changed our ties, and performed the ordinances.  On Sunday they received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  They were beyond joy.  Armando, one of Bertha's sons, came to support them.  He hasn't drank coffee in two weeks, fueled by faith that God has commanded us not to partake of it in the Word of Wisdom.

The same morning of their baptism we were in the Fresno temple performing baptisms for the dead with some of the Hmong recent converts.  Saving ordinances for the living and the dead in the same day!  This trip was the first time that I heard Hmong names receiving their ordinances.  That was neat.  The Hmong have no written records earlier that the middle of last century.  Knowing your ancestry is not common.

It has been a great week.

With love,

Elder Cummings

Photos!

(Anziano Wilkinson)

Sorry, I don't have much time today, but I have these photos of the coast the we visited today near Ancona. It was beautiful! I hope you all have a great thanksgiving!

Giant Mangos, Divisions, & Lapa!

(Sister Ellsworth)

It always seems like PDAY comes around way too fast and I have no idea what happened during the week. There's always so much to do and not enough time during the day to do it all. It was a good week. We found some new investigators who are really cool (I know I always say that but it's true. They are all fixe "feesh" which is Portuguese for cool). We've been working really closely with our members and other missionaries in the area and the work here is progressing quickly.  It's really exciting to see and help these people! WOOT! Haha.

We had divisions this week, next week, and the week after. My companion is the Sister training leader which is basically the leader for the sisters in our area. It's been so fun to get to know more Sisters and learn new ways to teach. We taught a variety of people this week as well from a 13 year old boy to a 19 year old mom to a 85 year old grandma and her grandkids. It's been truly humbling to see some of the sad situations some of these people are in yet they are still smiling and eager to learn. I think one of the most exciting things we did on our divisions was we found this guy who we knew was a drug dealer or something but he was always really nice to the missionaries since he was raised by a God fearing woman. He told us he wanted to change and that he didn't want to be sad or angry with God anymore. We taught him the Plan of Salvation and how faith is a choice. He asked us how he could change and we told him that faith is a choice. It's a hard choice and sometimes it's difficult to know if you are acting on faith but one way to know if you are acting on faith is if you feel good. If you feel the warm whisperings of the Holy Ghost in your heart. He thought about it for a while and then asked if he was allowed to come to church and to pray and clearly we said yes. No one is unworthy to pray! It was a great experience.

We also went to Lapa this week which is the touristy area of Lisbon. It's old  winding cobblestone streets and cathedrals for miles and miles. We just wandered around and talked about life. If any of you guys want to visit Portugal... visit Lapa!!

Lapa

Also Lapa. At the very end of this street is the Rio Teijo and across the river is Barreiro!

Portuguese people are very short. I'm 5 foot 5 and I smacked my forehead on this door.

This is how the decorate old abandoned buildings.

They have mangoes here that are bigger than your face. This is only half of the mango.

Ate Logo! Amo vocês!

Sister Ellsworth

A Couple of Thoughts

(Elder Cummings)

Elder Gray and I are doing work in Merced together.  We have been all over the stake this last week helping to prep apartments for new missionary companionships.  As a result of all the hauling that we were going to have to do, the mission switched our cars!  We are now driving a small pick-up truck, a Nissan.  Christmas came early!

And as if driving a truck wasn't enough, our teaching pool is taking off again!  Bertha and Jessica will be baptized this next Saturday.  Bertha's younger son set a date for December 10.  The Hmong branch is keeping the fire bright too!  Saint (11) and Stephen (12) came to church for the first time on Sunday.  Both boys were immediately surrounded by friends and loved the service.  We went by after church to watch Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration with them, and they loved that too!  Their testimonies are taking off.  Both of them moved out of the picture book version of the Book of Mormon and into the iconic blue-bound one.  Stephen is trying to read a chapter a day!

We taught one of the three Jasons we visit on Wednesday, and it was one of the most powerful discussions I have ever had on the topic of repentance.  Teaching from the tailgate of the truck might have played a part in that, and without a doubt the Spirit was doing the heavy lifting.  We talked about consciences for a bit, and not very deeply, but it came to me again that the conscience is one of the clearest evidences to me of God's love for his children.

This week I have had a scripture on my mind, Moroni 7:47-48:

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day,it shall be well with him.

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

Something that I noticed as I continued to think about the words, is that the punctuation in the second verse can carry two meanings.  First, we should all pray specifically for charity so that we can be filled with charity.  The second meaning I found is that a natural result of sincere communication with the Father is an increase in Christlike love.  Looking back on my missionary service here in Merced, I can say with certainty that as my prayers have become more heartfelt, regardless of the subject of my prayers, my love for those we visit regularly and those we pass of the street has grown immensely.  I can no longer walk by someone without wanting to stop them and share the message of the restoration.  Everyone needs the peace that understanding the fullness of Jesus Christ's teachings can bring.

I find the example of Jesus Christ so incredible.  I found this quote from the prophet Spencer W. Kimball in my studies this week:

"Jesus said several times, 'Come, follow me.' His was a program of 'do what I do,' rather than 'do what I say.' His innate brilliance would have permitted him to put on a dazzling display, but that would have left his followers far behind. He walked and worked with those he was to serve. His was not a long-distance leadership. He was not afraid of close friendships; he was not afraid that proximity to him would disappoint his followers. The leaven of true leadership cannot lift others unless we are with and serve those to be led." (Jesus: The Perfect Leader, August 1979 Ensign).

I am so grateful for my Savior.  He is the best example to be found.

With love,

Elder Jared Cummings

Ok It's Cold Now

(Sister Ellsworth)

First off, nothing really crazy or cool happened this week. Lot's of little strange things but mainly we taught and looked for new friends :) We met a young lady named Alicia who has a huuuuuge family. They are from Africa and there are more than 15 people living in this big house. We found them because her brother had gold painted tennis shoes and I thought they were super cool, but turns out they had already been taught some lessons by the missionaries and have records in our area book. Hopefully a miracle will come around and we will be able to help and teach them. We spent a lot of time with our recent converts this week too. Manuela and Nadia are doing super great! Nadia is working for a member in our branch and is helping us teach every week. Manuela loves to make us Portuguese soup,  which is the best thing ever. Alda is also doing well. She's going to get married in two months to her fiancée, who is very nice. All of them are also introducing us to their friends and we're working with four investigators because of them. WOOT!

The Elders in our area had three baptisms this week which is AWESOME! It was a really great little party afterwards too. Of course, we made cookies. One of the members in our branch told me afterwards that the Sisters can get everyone to come to the baptisms because of our cookies. They love chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon cookies!

It's gotten quite cold here. I was really grateful for the breeze in the summer but it's probably the worst thing ever now. But that's more motivation to have lessons inside! It has also been kind of nice because it's really easy to find our investigators and members in their houses. No one wants to be outside!

Overall It's been a great week. Lots of ups and downs, lefts and rights, forwards and backwards. This isn't really something new in the life of a missionary though... In one day you can teach and have a thousand appointments and then the next day you prepare in a simliar way but absolutely everything falls through and you have to pick up the pieces and start again. Perspective and patience are two things I thought I had before my mission but I realized that those things are so much more complicated than I expected.

Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us. We have such a small understanding sometimes and it's hard to trust in that plan. I'm so grateful to have the knowledge that I have about where I came from, why I'm here, and where I will go in my life. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve in Portugal, land of the bolos de Belém and bacalhau. I'm grateful for the support I have from my family and everything else! I hope all of you have a super great week!!

Be happy and the world smiles with you :)

Heres a poem for you:

I wish I was a glow-worm

a glowworm is never glum.

Because how can you be grumpy

When the sun shines out your bum?!

Be a happy glowworm.

Love you,

Sister Ellsworth

Focus on the One

(Elder Cummings)

This whole week I have been working with a new companion, Elder Gray, another Hmong elder!  Our companionship transferred a week early so that Elder Perkins could be spending more time at the mission office over the next couple transfers.  Elder Gray and I have been tearing it up!  It is a blast to be back with someone who speaks my native Hmong!  I had no idea how much I missed speaking it until we were driving up from Fresno late Halloween night after a meeting for all zone leaders and sister training leaders at the mission home.  In this mission we don't proselyte Halloween night, so President Clark took advantage of the opportunity to give some instruction before November really set in.

Something that has been on my mind over the last few weeks is perfectly embodied in this video:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-03-0024-focus-on-the-one?lang=eng

One thing President Clark stresses with mission leaders is the importance of ministering to our stewardships, the companionships we lead.  I have had several amazing experiences this last week doing just that.

 I have been throwing the thought around for a while now that the Spirit will lead you to the extent that you let him. I have found that to be so true. We were doing our gospel studies with another companionship earlier this week (this ties in to both things, I promise).  As we were going through listening to each other as we each shared what we learned from our personal scripture study, one elder was sharing how he had read D&C 10:4 while studying the topic of diligence, which says:

 "Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end."

In the very moment he read the verse I felt compelled by the Spirit to ask "how has your experience with depression informed your interpretation of that verse?"  At the time of asking this question I did not know that he struggled with depression.  The thought came to my mind, and because I trusted that the Spirit would lead me to minister to this elder I expressed it.

Instant tears came to this elder's eyes, and for the first time in the year and a half he has served as a missionary he talked openly about his ongoing battle with depression.  We then worked together to ensure the needed support was put in place for him to work towards a healthier solution than bottling it all in.

In the ongoing conversation we have been having since then I have come to a new appreciation of Isaiah 55:8-9, which reads:

 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

God thinks much more of us than we think of ourselves.  He recognizes with eternal gratitude all of the small things that we do for him.  He rejoices with us when we do what is right.  He is absolutely joyful when we persevere through opposition.  He cares for us as individuals and works towards our individual salvation and exaltation.  All life experiences and all church assignments are given to us to prepare us for that end, "[our] dross to consume, and [our] gold to refine" (How Firm a Foundation, hymn #81).

In speaking about his modern-day calling as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder David A. Bednar says, "It's not a large corporation.  And the apostles are not the board of directors.  This is an individual work.  The Saviour knows people by name.  He knows their circumstances.  And He directs us in our work to bless the lives of individuals, not run a gigantic organization."

That is true for all aspects of church service.  It is about individuals, and as we reach out to individuals we do the Savior's work.

You all have a blessed week!  Share the love of Christ with those around you!

With love,

Elder Jared Cummings

and another quote to think on, from Elder Neil L. Anderson: "Please don’t see your efforts to share the love of the Savior with another as a pass/fail test with your grade determined by how positively your friends respond to your feelings or invitation to meet the missionaries. With our mortal eyes, we cannot judge the effect of our efforts, nor can we establish the timetable. When you share the love of the Savior with another, your grade is always an A+."

Captain Moroni

(Anziano Wilkinson)

This week we had the chance to go visit Milan again! As always, it's a terribly long train ride, but we survived it once again. The reason why we went up there was because there was a meeting for trainers and trainees in order to help the trainees understand how things work as well as give us trainers a refresher course. Basically, they told us what to do if we got hurt or sick, or if a bike breaks, or if an emergency happens. Nothing's super special, but all important stuff geared at helping us be more informed and more efficient. It was nice though to see many of my good friends there as well, since many of them are training or for some reason or another showed up to the church building we were in.

We also found some cool places to explore in Ancona as well! There is apparently an abandoned fort in the top of the highest peak overlooking the ocean. It's open for people to walk through the grounds (but not the buildings, sadly haha) and it's pretty sweet, kinda like Chernobyl in a way! Here's a picture of the view from atop the peak; in the foreground is a super old Jewish cemetery (or at least it looks super old):

And here's also a random art price that we found that was pretty awesome. It's called "La Porta di Nu" if I remember correctly:

Lately I've been reading in the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon about the conflicts between the Nephites (the good guys) and the Lamanites (the bad guys). The Nephites had relatively recently switched from a monarchal government to a more democratic form of government and two decades later there apparently still existed a faction of opposers of the change. They referred to themselves as kingmen and advocated for there to be a king once again set up in the place of their "chief judge". They didn't have much success and when the matter was put to a vote, the voice of the people expressed that they would much rather have the freedom to choose their rulers. Eventually a portion of these kingmen dissented from the Nephites and joined the Lamanites and proceeded to rally them up to go to war with the Nephites. This began a long and difficult war between the two groups where one group was fighting unjustly for greater power and the other fighting (or rather defending) for their liberties and lives.

A prominent figure in the recount of this conflict was a man named Moroni, who was the captain of the Nephite armies. He was a man of great integrity and faith and when the liberty of his people was threatened, he was the man everyone turned to for the defense of the people. Alma 48:16 sheds some light on the type of person Captain Moroni was. It explains that Captain Moroni's "heart did glory in [the defense of his people]; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity." Clearly from this verse we can gather that he was a great guy, whose glory was in doing good, but verse  17 sheds even more light onto the quality of his character when it says, "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

What a statement! Basically, if everyone was like Moroni, there would be no evil in the world, because we would all be beyond the influence of it! He was a man whose heart was set entirely on doing what was right and he was driven by the cause of freedom and defense of the many things he was grateful for, like his family, his country, and his right to worship (Alma 46:12). Imagine if we were all a little more like Moroni! Imagine if we were all a little more committed to "doing good,... keeping the commandments of God,... and resisting iniquity"! The world would be a much better place, without a doubt. Take some time today and think about this; think of ways you can be more fully dedicated to good causes and good things and remember the promised blessings, including that, if we would all do it, then "the very powers of hell would be shaken forever". We may not be able to convince everyone to be more like Moroni, but if we can do our part, then I am certain that we can make a difference, even in our own small ways. As Mother Teresa once said, "What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean, but if we didn’t do it, the ocean would be one drop less."

I hope you have a great week and that you find even more ways to be even more valiant in "doing good"!

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson