"Satan is out to get me."

Hi!

This week was transfers and I'm dying in Parker! And I'm so excited about it because this place has been great. The ward is great, the bishop is great and the area is great-even though it has its challenges but what area doesn't? But the best part is that President left four sisters in Parker. Sister Staib (from MTC district-who was in a threesome with us for a week) got a new companion, Sister Hamilton who is my companion from La Junta. The bishop is so excited to have four of us still and there is plenty of work for us to do. They are living with other members but we get to see them all the time.

Remember that investigator from last email? She is awesome and Satan knows it and has been working hard on her. Two weeks ago she told us that the baptismal date we set was too soon for her so we had her pray and pick a new date to work towards. She felt really good about the 15th of December and was super excited about it. She read everything we gave her and was devouring the Book of Mormon. We did a church tour with her and she told us in the chapel that there was an overwhelming feeling there. She loved everything we taught her, she loved the feelings from the spirit, she just loved it. But good things don't come without opposition. She didn't come to church that sunday and she told her fellowshipper that she wanted to take a day off to let it all sink in (that interpets to mean "I'm nervous about coming" or "Satan is working really hard on me"). Her fellowshipper told her to take another day off but not Sunday. Satan is good and very sly and sneaky. Sometimes I want to punch him in the face but he doesn't have a face to work over. So we go over the next day after Sunday and she tells us that she is feeling rushed for baptism and that she wants to take it slow. (I hate Satan...) We pray with her and ask her to keep praying and find out if that is what God wants her to do. Well, we go over there the next day and she tells us that she is terrified to tell her parents because they won't react to it very well and she wants their support. We talk about the apostles and how they left their families for Chirst's ministry. We told her to trust in God and that everything will work out with her family in the end. But she ended up dropping the date anyway. In the end she told us that she didn't want to meet with us anymore because she wanted to take a step back and go slow (which I thought she was already doing). It is hard to see people know that it is true and know that it is a commandment from God but turn away from him because they don't have the faith to move forward. And if they aren't moving forward, they are moving backwards.

Our testimonies are like escaladers-the ones going down. We are walking up the ones going down and it takes a lot of effort but it is very possible to move forward and upward. But if we stop, then we go down. And Satan knows it all. He just has to distract us enough, either it be with good things or with bad things, that we stop moving forward or slack off and we begin to go down. Family is a good thing, school is a good thing and work is a good thing but Satan can use them to his advantage.

Well, the church is true and Satan sure makes evidence for it. Remember who you are and keep the faith!

Love, Sister Sumsion