Week 1 Perth Amboy, NJ; Week 7 of Mission

Hola Familia,                                                     Sept 9, 2013

 

I got my new companion, Elder Brimley! Such an awesome guy. He has been out for 15 months or so. He heads home in May and is from American Fork, Utah. He is a pretty fun guy and he likes to run so we run together which is nice. Went to BYU for a year before he came out. But he knows how to WORK HARD. Its perfect. He is a very dedicated missionary and an awesome trainer. He is following all the rules and the 12 week program format. He gives me plenty of opportunities to take the lead and talk. He really is great. Thanks for the prayers. I know the Lord is mindful of each and every one of us. All of the people in the world. He knows EXACTLY what we need.



Elders Sumsion, Brimley, Packer, Morrill

So after we got our trainers, we went to our first mission transfer conference. This is where missionaries get assigned to new areas and companions. Our mission has 200 or so missionaries. About 100 were there being transfered. So fun, everybody was getting so excited to hear where they were going, even President Jeppson was cracking some jokes and Sister Jeppson had to come over and tell him to focus! So funny. Wow I love them both. We also got to hear a few testimonies of missionaries who are leaving, they were so inspiring. Man, being like them in two years seems like a long ways away but I cant wait to love my mission just like they do!

Our apartment is good. We have two other missionaries with us so its not lonely or boring. Its a wicked nice apartment though. One of the nicest in the mission. It gets a little cold at night, but we have a heating/AC system. My one blanket you sent is doing great! Our APARTMENT HAS LAUNDRY MACHINES!!!!!

 

Apt Kitchen

 So we took off and are in a town called Perth Amboy, NJ. Right by long Island, NY. (actually it is right across the tip of Stanton Island) Check it out online. The city is pretty big, but our area is super small. We are seriously probably the only two white people here. Everyone is Hispanic or Black. Its awesome. There are so many nationalities around here. Most of the people are the people that wanted to live the American Dream in NY but realized how expensive it was and ended up moving to the suburbs in NJ. These are all the different nationalities we have found: Peru, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Mexican, Dominican (Dominican Republic). The first being the easiest accent to understand; the last the most difficult. Spanish is absolutely insane. I can barely speak anything, and can understand little to none. Starting with the Peruvians, I can understand 25% of what they say. And the Dominicans: I probably pick out one word out of every thousand they say. So funny.

We have been working so hard!!! We are in a walking area so we walk everywhere! Those European trips with you all have been some good practice for all the walking we do. I get home at the end of every day and am completely exhausted! Sleep is so precious, especially right now because I got little sleep the day I traveled from Mexico to here. But the work is great. I can feel like I am really giving it my all. We taught 19 lessons the first 5 days! So awesome. I do my best to help out in the lessons and talk and ask questions but when the people respond, I have no idea what they said and have to wait for my companion to answer them. Way funny. A little tough at first, but like my district leader said: It will come with time. BE PATIENT! So true.  I got to teach a first lesson on friday and invited the man to be baptized and he said YES!!!! I was so excited. We ended the lesson super late so we had to run for 15 minutes home and I had a huge smile on my face! So happy. But it all comes with hard work.

Me and my companion got doubled-in meaning that we are both new to this area, so we both know nothing. So we started off meeting with so many members! They are the best. They feel just like families back at home and I can really feel the Spirit in their home. They cook some amazing Hispanic food as well. We get all sorts of flavors because there are so many different nationalities.

 

Amazing Peruvian meal from a member. With grilled bananas!

Typical knocking street. So many people live in each house. Like 4 apartments in a single house!

First Sunday was yesterday. We, of course, had to give talks because we are new. We heard five minutes so I prepared a talk for five minutes. Got there are we were the main speakers. I managed to somehow (Lord's help of course!) speak for 15 minutes so cool.

 

I love you with all my heart,

Your son,

Elder Sumsion

SHOUTOUTS

Thanks to all who emailed and...

Sumsions (cousins) : thank you so much for the letter and all the advice! Your prayers mean the world to me! Keep up being the great people and examples that you are.

The church

First apt meal - Cholula sauce Baby!!!! (we sent it to him - he loves it)