The Church is Still True!

(Sister Ellsworth)

Quierdo meu amigos,

Holy moly! What a week! Technically 5 days I guess.. This week has been a very humbling experience to say the least. I walked into the MTC, they put a badge on me, and then starting going off in Portuguese. I caught on pretty quickly because of my spanish, but the poor Elder next to me was struggling. We are in classrooms for about 9 hours a day with breaks in between to eat and to exercise. We spend about three hours doing personal study, three hours with your companion, and three studying the language. It's quite the brain teaser!

I have a great companion. Her name is Sister Johnson and she's going to Mozambique speaking Portuguese. In my zone there are 10 Sisters and 1 Elder going to Lisbon! Pretty awesome :) We're already quite close and good friends. The Spirit is so strong here and everywhere you look there are soldiers of the Army of God walking two by two down the corridors.

On our third day they had us teaching investigators in Portuguese, to which I was quite freaked out. We ended up teaching this man for 35 minutes in very poor and broken Portuguese. Even though I couldn't understand very much of what he said or what I said, the Spirit was so strong in that room. It was wonderful!

The food has been interesting. The cafeteria has been closed all week due to the new mission president training seminar so breakfast is eggs, bagels, cereal, fruit, or a doughnut every morning. Lunch is always some sort of sandwich which are actually pretty good. Dinner has been catered from subway, chick-fil-a, taco bell, papa johns, etc. This morning we finally got our cafeteria back and it was good! BTW do not send me any candy XD My whole apartment has been sent 20 lbs of candy and junk! Blegh!

​Second Day!

​All of our language books. They said it would be about 8 lbs of books.  MORE LIKE 20!! We have english and portuguese in EVERYTHING. ​In class with (L->R) Sister Gubler, Elder Van Wagnen, Elder Pehrson, Sister Johnson, and ME! We have 10 people per class. All of us are going to Portugal or Africa!

Sister Johnson and I after teaching our first lesson in PORTUGUESE! ​

My message for all of you is Mosiah 5:5!  "Am I willing... to enter into a covenant with my God and do his will all my days(?)" I say HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

Never limit yourself based on what you think your capcitiy is. The Lord can increase your capacity to do anything (even teach a lesson by yourself in Portuguese after three days) and he will!

Need to find evidence of God? 2 Nephi 29:8, John 20:31, and Moroni 10:4.

The Church is still true!

Tudo Bem! (All is well)

Amo-te,

Sister Ellsworth

PS If you are reading this on my blog and you want an email please send your email to me! I only have a few :)

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

Sorry for the late email today, Elder Bagley and I had to go down to Fresno earlier today (two hour round trip) which put us on a delay.

So many things happened this week!  Thanks to more effective planning Elder Bagley and I were able to greatly increase the amount of lessons we were able to teach with investigators this week.  One of the greatest fears I have felt as a missionary is the fear of having nothing to do.  We have been working on shaking of this fear and spending time in homes only as long as we are needed rather than staying until the time forces us to leave to be on time to our next plans.  It is much more energizing this way!  We are seeing positive changes in those we are visiting, as well as in our companionship, as a result.

This week also marked the end of a two month period of a massive scripture memorization project.  Elder Bagley and I, upon being challenged by the mission president's wife, memorized 114 scripture references--54 form the Bible and 60 from the Book of Mormon--and the over 150 verses that are associated with them in an effort to be more effective teachers out of the scriptures.  It has been hard work, but we, along with four other missionaries in the mission did it.  The reward has been a profoundly increased love for the Savior and His teachings through His holy prophets.  This whole experience has definitely taught be something: cognitive power can easily be increased with steady effort over a long period of time.  My memory has improved greatly as I have been a missionary.  While still in the MTC I would struggle to memorize a small handful of essential words daily, and after months of practice my capacity to memorize has easily quadrupled.  We are all capable of incredible things if we will set our minds to it!  So set your mind to something and stick with it!

Sou Saetern was baptized this last Saturday and confirmed on Sunday.  He asked me to perform the confirmation, so gratefully I did.  The confirmation is what truly completes the baptism.  It is when the gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed.  Joseph Smith is quoted to have said that "baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half--that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost" (History of the Church, 5:499).  The reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands is both biblically founded and essential for salvation (see Acts 19:2-7).  Another Joseph Smith quote: "The baptism of water, without the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost attending it, is of no use; they are necessarily and inseparably connected" (History of the Church, 6:316).

Why is the Holy Ghost so important?  He is the Comforter sent forth by the Father to teach us all things, and to bring all things to our remembrance that Christ has taught (see John 14:26).  Learning truths of the gospel by the Holy Ghost is essential for our salvation, for "it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance" (D&C 131:6).  God absolutely does reveal the truths of His kingdom to the common man who is an earnest and humble seeker.  Such was the case with Joseph Smith.

Today is the 172nd anniversary of the day of his martyrdom.  He and his older brother, Hyrum "were shot in Carthage jail, on the 27th of June, 1844, about five o'clock p.m., by an armed mob--painted black--from 150 to 200 persons.  Hyrum was short first and fell calmly, exclaiming: I am a dead man! Joseph leaped from the window, and was shot dead in the attempt, exclaining: O Lord my God!  They were both shot after they were dead, in a brutal manner, and both received four balls" (D&C 135:1).  My testimony is that of the scriptures in saying that "Joseph Smith,  the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.  In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fullness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose [the] book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain.  He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood" (D&C 135:3).

It has now been 172 years and approximately 3 hours since that day.  The work has not halted.  I know that Joseph was called by God.  I know that he did not set up his own church, but that he restored the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth.  I know that Christ continues to lead his church today through a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson.  I know these truths by the power of the Holy Ghost, and cannot deny them.  I am so grateful to share this message with all the world!

You all have a wonderful week!

With love,

Elder Jared Cummings.

Week of Miracles

(Anziano Wilkinson)

This week has been full of amazing experiences with teaching and fellowshipping investigators with the help of members. As any missionary can attest, missionary work is far more effective when done with the assistance and support of faithful active members of the church. One of our investigators, for instance, Stanley, has been making amazing progress lately, every day comprehending more of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and making steps closer to making covenants with our Heavenly Father. We have been enlisting the help of many of the members in the Verona Second Ward to help him in this process and as we have done so his progress has accelerated. An unbelievable number of members have stepped up to help provide rides to allow him to get to church on time as well as to get home afterward. On top of this, we have had some amazing support from several families who have opened their homes to help us teach him there. Many of our members have expressed great desires to assist in the work in any way they can.

As we have taught alongside the members of the church here in Verona we have seen not only our investigators grow, but also those who have helped us. It's amazing to see the Lord work through these faithful members in bringing to pass His great work of salvation. Even when their assistance is no more than the offering of a warm home and an additional testimony, the difference is tangible. The Lord works through all those who are willing to be tools in His hands and He magnifies our efforts as we put ourselves in the position to help.

It's hard sometimes to help those we teach to make the transition from learning about the Gospel of Jesus Christ to making it an active part of their lives. Members of the church help with this immensely. As full-time missionaries we live different lives than the average person, dedicating our full time and attention to the work of our Father in Heaven to preach the gospel to "every nation, kindred, tongue, and people," so we do not represent great examples of how one can apply the Gospel of Jesus Christ into an everyday life. However, with the help of faithful (and quite frankly, normal) people that are truly trying to live the gospel everyday, that transition becomes a lot easier. Their friendship and support reassure new hearers of the gospel that the path that they are beginning to go down is both rewarding and possible.

I'm very grateful for the support that the members give to missionaries here in Verona and I can't wait to bring more new people into their homes to teach them about the word of God. Their faithful assistance makes a huge difference! Have a great week enjoy the first week of summer!

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

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

Small Things Show Forth Great Power

(Elder Cummings)

This week can be summarized very well in one of my favorite scriptures in holy writ, Ether 3:5.

Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this.  We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.

As Elder Balgey and I have been teaching, and contacting, and praying together for direction, this scripture has been on my mind.  So much of what the Lord does for his children looks so small to us from our mortal mindset.  In fact, one of the greatest manifestations of God's power, the quiet whispering of the Holy Ghost, is not even observable with the human eye.

One of our investigators, Sou, has been pushing through a lot of opposition from his family to continue meeting with us, and to prepare to be baptized.  We have been meeting him for several weeks, and he now knows God's desire is for him to be baptized.  He is still unsure of a date.  In addressing this concern, we invited him to select a date and to pray about it.  Following a prompting from the Spirit, I pulled out a card and wrote a date on it for him to pray about, not really knowing why.  The visit progressed, and when it was right, I gave him the card and the Spirit filled the room.  The date I had written was the same one he had been thinking about.  The Spirit had inspired me to act in a small way to confirm to Sou that the thoughts he had were inspired.

Another day, we knocked on the door of a less-active member who had not been contacted in a while.  While waiting for them to come to the door, an adult male pitbull turns the corner of the house and walks up to us, sniffs our legs, and sits down at our feet.  A small thing, but not the normal thing for that dog.  The family invited us in, and we had a wonderful visit.  They are happy to have us come back this next week.

One afternoon Elder Balgey and I were walking back to our car from contacting a referral and said hi to a pedestrian, and casually asked if he believed in Christ.  Not a very tactful approach for a street contact, but he said no, and said we could come by and meet him to help him understand Christianity and especially Mormonism.  So we did, and he is now is investigating the church and reading in the Book of Mormon.  He immigrated from Vietnam three years ago and has a curiosity to learn that he didn't know he had.

It really is the small things--the smallest things--that show forth God's greatest power.  We can come to know God best in some of the slowest times of our lives.  God is always there.

Have a wonderful week!

With love,

Elder Jared Cummings

Verona!

(Anziano Wilkinson)

Here to Stay,

So transfers have come and it turns out that I get to stay in Verona for another transfer! I'm excited to stay in this amazing city! And still with the added bonus of Mantova for part of the week! Anziano Te Maari is still my companion too, which is really good because he is the one that knows Mantova and I'm still learning it.

We have a new mission president coming in at the end of this month who name is President Allen and as such, President Dibb has asked us to make June a month of "consecration". In essence, he has asked us to work as hard as ever and with even greater focus on and concern for the people we teach and encounter. The difference has been seen as Anziano Te Maari and I have tried to invite the Holy Ghost more than ever into our teaching appointments and daily routines. We're making efforts to be more prepared for the lessons we teach and to look for more opportunities to uplift and serve. Although this week we spent a great portion of our time with transfers, adjusting our apartment to accommodate two again rather than four, traveling and waiting in lines for visa documentation for Anziano Te Maari, and planning for the month's upcoming events, we can tell that great things will soon come from our increased efforts to bless the lives of others.

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude recently. I'm extremely grateful for the blessings that richly define my life. I have a loving family back home, loving friends both in the mission and at home, and the amazing chance to be in the position to uplift and edify others as a full-time missionary. Our Father in Heaven wants us to be happy. He knows what is meaningful to us. He knows what will make us the most happy. He has a plan for us all and it exists for the only to help us realize our fullest potentials as divine sons and daughters of God. He sent His only begotten Son to set an example of righteousness for us and ultimately pay the price for our sins so that if we would rely on Him, we wouldn't have to. We have a God watching over us 24/7 making sure to keep His promises to bless us when we do right and teach us when we don't. I'm so great full for the knowledge that we will never be alone as long as we keep close to God.

There are blessing all around us to be grateful for! Take a moment to count your blessings this week. You will find many. each of us has been richly blessed with our own strengths and weaknesses, loved ones, and tender mercies. Look for them and you will find them!

Have a fantastic week!

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

Turning up the heat!

(Elder Cummings)

The work in Merced continues to build and the temperature continues to rise!  The hottest it got this week was 112.  Our apartment, despite our best efforts, stays in the 90s all night, so sleeping and showering have become uncomfortably relate-able experiences.  Nonetheless, we are having fun and working hard.

Our finding has been on point!  They were such a blessing!  Elder Balgey and I had fasted that we could find families to teach and we have been blessed.  We were able to meet a half dozen individuals who would be interested in learning more with their spouse and children present.  What a miracle!

This week has also brought with it my first interactions with the Hmong gangs!  They are much bigger down in Fresno and up north in Sacramento, Wisconsin, and Michigan, but we managed to run into them in Merced.  Only good things came from it, and we began visiting one of them who was baptized a member of the Church, but has since gone astray.  They have a strong desire to come back to church, but they want to take it slow.  Many changes will have to be made, and through Jesus Christ they can be made.

A lesson we had with this new friend was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.  As we talked I had a distinct memory of a few obscure verses in the Book of Revelations that talk about the war in heaven that occurred before this life that were first brought to my attention five years ago at an EFY (Especially For Youth) summer program but on by BYU.  I have seldom, if ever, thought about these verse since, with the exception of reading over them.  Because of an experience I had had five years previous, I knew those specific scriptures well enough to use them in a teaching situation that helped this less-active member feel the Spirit strongly and to reopen their heart to the message of the Restoration.  Despite what may seem like a wild introduction, the visit went smoothly into teaching about prophets and the Atonement.  They have began rereading the Book of Mormon and praying daily.  It was an incredible lesson for all who were present.  Our new friend even mentioned that Elder Bagley and I were the first missionaries that had been able to make learning the gospel fun!  It was an amazing experience.

God truly does prepare us for all we are called upon to do.  He guides our life to give us the experiences we need to accept his gospel.  I know that He lives.

With love,

Elder Jared Cummings