Whats up family!
Super good week for us. Lots of spiritual boosts and pump
ups and once again we had a busy week. One of the lowest weeks of actual
time proselyting though, because we had tons of meetings to go to. They were so
heavily charged spiritual meetings though so I feel like I am all recharge
spiritually and ready to just go and spiritually unload on every one in the
street and all of our investigators. Ha and I am sleeping on a bed again after
2 weeks!
Yesterday we had Elder Wilford Anderson of the Seventy come
and do a mission tour. It was a big meeting with zones 1-4 that went from 9am
to 4pm. Very very spiritual and he didn't do a big throw down or get super
intense or anything but he was very loving and humble and kind. It
was pretty neat because before the big meeting with all the missionaries,
he wanted to meet with leaders. So us 8 zone leaders and the 4 sister
training leaders got to have a cool private session with him at 8 in the
morning. Such a blessing to be part of that. Talked about church and
missionary leadership and then opened it up for question and answer. One quote
I love was: "The genius of the church is not in the correct decisions of
the leaders but of the sustaining hearts of the members." We have a
responsibility to sustain leaders and follow there council. He said that the
Lord will make decisions of leaders work out in the end but we have to support
and sustain them first. That concept can resolve so many problems on conflict
and pride within wards and church groups. He had so many good points.
In the main conference he wrote 6 words on the board from
1st to last: exaltation, endure to the end, Holy
Ghost, baptism, repentance, and faith. And discussed how one is
needed after the next and how we can help companions, family,
investigators, pretty much everybody, progress in the Gospel. He said
"It is impossible to endure to the end without the spirit." Pretty
powerful stuff. He was in my role play group as well and was so kind
and loving to the missionaries in helping out these missionaries I
was with and me as well. He s a great example to me. So grateful to just
be there at the meeting.
We had transfer conference last Tuesday. Not much of the
zone changed. We got another new missionary so now 5/8 companionships in the
zone are trainers and trainees. All just so powerful. I really feel like our
zone is stacked with the best missionaries, and then me and Elder Drewes
up top trying to figure out how to help them all, but they already are so good.
They are all such example and teachers to us two. I love them all. My
love seriously had grown so much over the last month. It has changed my whole
perspective on life and missionary work. So happy to be with Elder Drewes for
another transfer. We have become good friends over the last 7 weeks. Its so
nice having a companion to just be open with. I feel like I can just talk to
him about whatever. We are laughing so much too. He will be here for the rest
of this transfer then I will get a new companion. What usually happens for zone
leaders is they stay in their areas for 4 transfers. So there is a good chance
I will be here until about January. which I couldn't be more thankful for. I
love Jersey City. Also, Elder Packer got called zone leader too. So I have got
to see him like everyday this past week. His zone is like 20 min from ours.
Most of our zone actually overlaps with theirs. He is just up in Union City so
way close. Also Elder Warnock, one of my good buddies at the beginning of the
mission got called zone leader too, so its been fun to see them more often now.
I feel so blessed to be here. I am starting to really see how this mission is a
gift and privilege, not a duty.
We had stake correlation last week where all the ward
mission leaders, bishops, stake presidency, Mission President and a few zone
leaders meet together to go over how the stake has been doing with
missionary work and how we they better coordinate the work between missionaries
and wards. We didn't get to help a ton, but I realized the blessing of just
being in those meetings. I will be on the other side of the work as a member
someday and now I know what both sides of the work are like. Seeing how stakes
work with missionaries and the culture of doing missionary work in the US will
definitely be a big bonus at home when I will have to help out with the ward
side of missionary work. I am learning so much that will help me now and after
the mission. What a blessing.
Super funny. So for some reason we had to do a baptismal
interview outside last Thursday at like 8:00. it was all going well until we
heard this dog walking by behind this fence, we looked over and saw that it was
a skunk! What in the world is a skunk doing in the middle of The Heights? Its
pure concrete and houses in this town. Super random but luckily it just looked
at us frozen and we stared back and then it just ran off down an alley. Weird
stuff. But he passed the interview so it was good.
So we have had BED BUGS off and on for the last two months.
Didn't want to gross you all out or anything. Who knew these things even
existed? I was sleeping on the ground for the last 2 weeks, but finally got
back onto a mattress last night. It was heaven. No more bedbugs. We had an
exterminator come and destroy them.
Things are good. Happy as can be. I love you family.
Love,
Elder Sumsion
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