S16 E3&4: JXN

 (Elder Cummings)

Howdy yall! I'm just gonna give a quick rundown of some of the best and craziest things the past two weeks:

1. Our friend Ryliegh got baptized!! She is so so sweet and it was an amazing time

2. We was on the streets the other day and this guy just pulls up in this old Honda and just starts telling us how he used to study and hang out with the missionaries all the time like 10 years ago. We were like "no way this is hype". Then he tells us that we're in the craziest neighborhood in Jackson right now and that we gotta be careful. But that he owns the streets and that he ain't gonna mess with us. He told us his name and turns out he is like one of the head gang leaders in Jackson. So I'm sure he really does own those streets.

3. We've been teaching our friend Milton for a couple weeks now. He's set on turning his life over to God right now and we've been working with him step by step. He has a hard time understanding everything we read and talk about with him but he is such an amazing guy. We challenged him to pray about the truthfulness of the Restoration of the gospel. We came back the next day and asked how it went. He looks at us and says "I didn't get no big show or amazing thing. But I felt a way I never done felt before. I felt peace, and I felt like I suddenly understood more of what yall been teaching me. It's gotta be true, all of it". Man if that isn't just amazing I don't know what is

4. We do service at a charity/thrift store center down in South Jackson and they had a good quality, foldable, ping pong table selling for $30. And we drive a Tacoma. We couldn't say no. We bought it and strapped it up and drove around with it the rest of the day until we went back to our place. Now we have mini tournaments right before we go to bed

5. We also met a guy who claimed to have seen a vision of the heavens opening and Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jung Un coming down and making peace with the rest of the UN and the world. In the vision he sat at a table with all of them as well as Bill Clinton and HW Bush and other world leaders. Pretty cool.

God is good. All the time. I am constantly reminded of how much He cares about each one of his children. He is aware of them and loves them dearly. "I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." 1 Nephi 11:17

Have a blessed one!

Elder Cummings

S16 E1&2: Angels Go Before us

 (Elder Cummings)

So we were at the church making a couple calls and we were about to head out to find some new friends to teach. Our man Brother Sisson walked in to clean the church and, not thinking too much of it, we were like "Hey Brother Sisson! Can you say a prayer for us before we go out?". He says of course and offers the most sincere and powerful prayer where he prays that angels will go before us and prepare and make ready people to hear our message. He prays that the Spirit be poured into the hearts of the people and they will be humble and ready.

Elder O and I look at each other and are like "man. We better have the faith to see the answer to that prayer because that was amazing. Let's not put Bro Sissons prayer to waste". So we get biking in the blistering wet heat(this week the plastic covering on Elder O's helmet shrunk cause the heat melted it).

We stop across the street from this house and this chained dog started just barking at us like nothing else. This dog was MEAN. We just stand there while this lady slams open the door and is like "WHATCHU YOU DONE DISTRUBIN MY DAWG LIKE THAT". We was thinking "oh boy, we need an angel to go before us on this one".

She steps down and just smiles at us and says "I'm just playing, but yall did disrupt me from prayin"

We get talking to Ms Felicia and learn that she was on her knees praying to God at that very moment for help and a sign when her dog starting barking it's head off. She opens the door and sees two young men preaching the Word on bikes. As we continue to talk with her we learn that she is still grieving from the death of her husband and has a lot lot more going on. We were able to testify of God's loving mercy and plan of happiness for all His children. I am so grateful to have been an instrument in the Lord's hands. I love it.

Another update: Willie and Tracie got baptized and confirmed this week!! They are so so awesome and I love seeing the Lord change people from the inside out.

God Bless

Elder Cummings

These are a ton of pictures of some of my favorite people in the world that I love so much! 

S15 E6: Hazlehurst to Brookhaven to Brandon to Baton Rouge to Clinton to Jackson

 (Elder Cummings)

So. I was all over the place this week with exchanges and temple trips, I'll just get right into it

We've been teaching a couple, Willie and Tracie. They're legit. We taught them at the White's house earlier this week and invited them to come down with the ward to see the Baton Rouge Temple.

So we take the 2.5 hour drive into BR with Brother Sisson and when we get there Willie and Tracie have been sitting in the temples Visitor Center for the last hour just soaking in the Spirit. From there we walk around the temple grounds and they love it. Then we go do a church tour at the stake center right next to it cause in Jackson we meet in a strip mall.

Willie kept asking about all the paintings and loved it when we explained them. His mind was blown with the painting of Jesus Christ knocking the door with no handle and the fact that we got open the door and let him in. We end in the chapel, testify of the Savior and the Sacrament and then have them sit in there while I played some Sacrament hymns.

Then from there we went to the Family History Center with Brother White and them and watched the Temple tour of the Washington DC temple. The Spirit was so strong and we invited them to be baptized. They asked if they could be baptized as soon as possible. So Willie and Tracie are planning to be baptized July 2. Please pray for them!

Then we watched some Book of Mormon videos with them and testified of it all and now Willie is stoked to receive the priesthood and Tracie is planning to be baptized for her mom in the temple at the end of July.

THEN from there we drove the 3 hours to Clinton to watch the baptism of our friend Sam with Willie and Tracie!! They were on top of the world and were telling everyone they met that they were getting baptized in two weeks!

Please please please pray for Willie and Tracie this week!!

Love yall and have a blessed one!

Elder Cummings

Photos

S15 E5: Philly to BR to Forrest to Hattiesburg to Jackson

 (Elder Cummings)

Good morning yall!

This week has been absolute bonkers with exchanges and zone conference and other meetings so it wasn't really until yesterday that I got to work with Elder O in my area.

This week was great though and I love working with so many different missionaries.

So Elder Challis and I are biking 30 minutes up and down these hills to get to a lesson we have. It's 96 degrees but feels like 105, and it's 94% humidity. I don't remember if I have ever sweat such a large amount sweat in such a short amount of time.

On the way, the GPS took us through this random apartment complex which makes absolutely no sense. But we ended up biking through it anyway and passed by a lady unloading stuff from her car. We started helping her and she was like "my goodness, how did I deserve these 2 angels today!! God is good!". Turns out she just moved here and is looking for a church. Perfect, we can help with that.

Then we make it to our lesson and our man Milton is an absolute legend. We gets us both some Gatorades and bananas and tells us profusely that we better drink it all cause we have more people to talk and bike to than just him today. He's a legend. This is the first lesson. He starts telling us we are his sons and that his door is always open. Day or night. After talking with him he opens up and tells us "I've done enough wrong in my life. I know I need to turn to the Lord, I know I need to do it now, but I don't know how." We discuss with him the gospel of Jesus Christ and invite him to be baptized the beginning of next month. He said "Absolutely" and it was like you could see the Spirit touch him. He got so emotional and happy. Please keep Milton in your prayers!

Have a blessed week!

Elder Cummings

Photos:

-got to say good bye to Sister Angilau and Carrol! The legends. Probably won't see them again for who knows how long

-got to see Elder Weatherston for the first time in 6 months and my boy Elder Leis. They make me look tiny

-some super nice car, I don't even know

-rare picture of President Amos showing Elder Wood how to shine a shoe😱

 (Elder Cummings)

What is up yall!

This week has been a real good one. Like always.

One day we had 7 lessons set up and every. Single. One. Fell through. It was so frustrating but we did our best to roll with the punches and keep going. Then the next day all of our lessons happened and they were all sooooo good. It was just a great reminder that this is the Lord's work. It struck me this week that the Lord doesn't NEED me to be a missionary. His work and His glory will go on with or without me. People will learn the gospel, hearts will be touched, and lives changed whether I'm there or not. The question is will I choose to be a part of it.

So in the end, being a missionary and a disciple of Jesus Christ is what I, myself, need. I have learned the gospel, my heart has been touched, and my life has been changed by my service as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am just humbled to have this understanding that He is in control and have this opportunity to be doing His work with Him.

Alma 29:9

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy"

God bless 🙏

Elder Cummings

S15 E2: Larry=Legend #BBB

 (Elder Cummings)

So it's Thursday morning and we're walking the streets of downtown Jackson. We just get out of this absolutely amazing lesson. We walked into the lesson and Elder Omorogbe and I both just felt strongly that we needed to invite this friend of ours to be baptized. We teach her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invite her to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. She says yes and the Spirit just rushes in and she just starts crying saying "I've never felt this way! What is going on!". We smile and tell her it's called the Holy Spirit.

Anyway so we're about to leave and Elder O is like "actually let's keep going just a couple minutes". So we keep walking and try and stop this guy just walking towards us. He's like "sorry yall, I gotta get to work". Then turns around says "actually no. Give me yalls message". Turns out this guy, Larry, met with the missionaries 12 years ago when his son lived with him. He started crying as he told us the names of the Elders who painted his house and took his son to church every week. Turns out his son was baptized even. Larry said he knew he needed to be baptized 12 years ago but couldn't rid himself of his bad habits and eventually gave up. He looked us in the eyes and HE asked US if he could be baptized. The man is a legend.

This is the Lord's work!

Have a blessed week

1. Us and Larry

2. Us at Whataburger!!! 3x on the mission.

3. Review mirror with a bullet hole through it...

4. Random Selfie outside of Stamps burgers

S15 E1: Mississippi Miracles

 (Elder Cummings)

Hey yall!! Sorry it's been a minute since I sent an email.

So yes. I'm up in Jackson, Mississippi now, and it's crazy. And crazy awesome.

The newly made ward meets in a strip mall and it's one of the best wards ever. They're so excited for missionary work. Here are some crazy stories and some miracles:

1. We were driving on a main road going like 4 or 5 mph over, and I just look and see this old man chug along my left and pass me in the median. He had to have been going like 2mph faster cause it took him forever. He was driving an OLD Crown Victoria and both of his rear tires were completely flat, he was just driving on the rims. Then at the stop light he gets out, opens and closes the trunk and then gets back in the driver's seat.

2. Another day we just got out of a lesson and these two guys were on the street(a little under the influence) just swinging these massive sticks at each other having a sword fight. They were arguing and saying stuff and just whacking each other. And they were just letting the other whack them. It was insane.

3. Also we were driving(we're typically on our bikes) and pass this gas station that had, no joke, 8 cop cars, lights on and everything, and just cops everywhere. We didn't stick around around see what happened.

4. Then the next day we passed a parking lot and there was about 15 cop cars pulled up not even in parking spots with like 30 cops surrounding a food truck, simply just getting some good food.

5. Another day we met a guy who had been shot 6 times, 3 times in the chest, and still has a bullet in his back. He pulled up his shirt and has a nasty scar going up his entire upper body. He's still alive for some reason though so we're teaching him.

6. The highlight of this week was probably when we met our friend Melissa. We get there with Brother White and she's talking on the phone, obviously pretty drunk. We stand there for a couple minutes and are like "Yo Melissa, we gotta get going soon are we able to talk?". After another minute she gets off the phone, grabs another 32oz BudLite and starts talking to us. At this point we realize that she's actually REALLY drunk. She starts talking about how she really wants to quit drinking and that she hates it. Brother White, who actually grew up in the hood that we were at that day started hyping her up and encouraging her. It was so cool. Melissa was feeling on top of the world until we told her to pour the drink out if she really wants to quit. She hesitated and said she couldn't. Then Elder O just starts testifying of God's love and His plan for her and she immediately starts balling and pours the whole can out. The Spirit was so strong and you could tell Melissa was just overwhelmed God's love for her. She could feel it.

Please keep Melissa, Courtney, Joann and Adrian in your prayers! We need it!

Love yall!

Elder Cummings

Photos:

Most of these pics are from my NOLA days, I got some more next week