Missionary work is hard!! Who would have thought?

Hi!

This week has been tiring and it has seemed unsuccessful. We gave our investigator, Kelsey, who last week had the blessing from the elders, another baptismal date. We were so excited to extend her another date because she had an amazing experience with her blessing. We went to her house and were going to give her a date about two weeks away, which would have given her a chance to go to church twice, hear all the lessons and work out any other problems. She told us that she wanted to get baptized (Yeah!) but wanted it to be special to her. She wanted to do it around a holiday so near Thanksgiving. We were excited that she wanted to get baptized but a little disappointed. I'm afraid that Satan will work on her before she can get baptized and receive the strength of the Holy Ghost. We are praying about how to help her realize the importance of baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. We invited her to church and she was playing on coming yesterday but got sick and couldn't make it. It is a major disappointment when someone doesn't show up for church. Because you sit all through Sacrament meeting on the edge of your sit and look at everyone who comes through the doors. She didn't show up so we stopped by her house after church to see how she's doing. Her son, the one that received the blessing, is doing amazingly well. He is eating like crazy and isn't on a lot of medicine anymore. So that was a miracle and the priesthood does work. But she was really sick with the flu when we were over there. She felt bad that she couldn't make it.
Me and Sister Yancey have been thinking about how to help her. We want her to see how wonderful baptism is and the blessings one receives from it and the gift of the Holy Ghost. I think that her testimony of the restored gospel, especially in Joseph Smith is strong but I don't think she realizes what that means and how what it means that Christ's Church is on the earth and that it is lead and directed by him. So we've been praying about how to best help her.


I've been so exhausted this week. We've been biking and walking everywhere because we have no other investigators and everyone we talk to says that they aren't interested. Every night it takes me about five seconds to hit the pillow and I've been going to bed about 9:45 pm everynight. Sister Soldinger, whose been out 6 months, says that it gets worse. You begin to become spiritually exhausted and you feel tired and drained all the time. Somehow my body finds a way to keep going. I never realized how much work missionary work was on the body, mind and spirit.
The Lord's tender mercy for this week was from a scripture I read. Me and Sister Yancey can't get any new potential investigators, or any investigators for that matter, except for Kelsey. Sister Ellison and Sister Soldinger have been finding alot of potentials but then they never want to meet with them so they are always getting ditched. So we've been having a tough week. So I had been thinking about the struggles and trials that people go through and what missionaries go through. I was thinking about how trials or the trial of our faith comes before a blessing or some great event. So one morning while eating breakfast I picked up a Book of Mormon off our table and just turned to a random page. It opened up to Alma 21 about Aaron and the sons of Mosiah. Aaron is teaching the gospel in a city but they just argue with him and reject him. He goes to another city and is rejected. He goes to another city and is thrown in prison. While in prison he suffers (Alma 20:29). But after being released from prison, he goes back to work and continues preaching. Then in verse 17, the Lord blesses him and allows him to be the instrument in bringing many to the truth of the gospel. That scripture really stuck out to me. If I keep pushing forward through the sorrows, struggles, rejections, disappointments, trials and tribulations, the Lord will bless me. I don't know how He will bless me or when, but He will.
This week we got a new resident in our apartment. One afternoon, we were making lunch and all of a sudden, Sister Yancey and Sister Ellison yell bloody murder. It scared me so bad because I thought someone was dying. Then I realize that they saw a mouse. Then I started laughing my head off. Me and Sis. Soldinger going looking for it and were trying to catch it when it comes out of hiding again. Sis. Yancey sees it and runs around the kitchen like a chicken with her head cut off. It was soo funny! Sis. Ellison started screaming even though she didn't see it. So they made me set up a mouse trap and that night we caught it.

My testimony has grown so much during the four months I've been on a mission. My love for my Savior and for my Heavenly Father has grown so much. I see everything that they have done for me and have given me. They have done it out of love for me. When I try to comprend the love they have for me, I just can't do it because it is stronger than anything that I could imagine. They only thing that comes even remotely close is the love I have for my family. I would give up everything for them! That is just how my Savior is. He gave up everything for me. He suffered and died for me. His whole Earthly existence was to help me. There is nothing in this world that I could do to repay him and he knows that but he still did it anyway. The thing that he asks of me is to just follow him and to love as he would love.

I love you all!
The church is true so keep the faith!

Love Sister Sumsion