Dear Family,
This week was filled with many new experiences for me in Rivière Salée. My new companions and I are delightfully enjoying the fact that as a threesome we can go practically everywhere. For example, our new recent convert, Pako Kilama, is this older man that loves serving the sister missionaries and before it was always hard for him to have to drive past the sisters walking because he could not take them in his car with him, but now with three of us he takes and picks us up all the time. Last Sunday he was especially excited to be able to take us to a fireside at Mont Dore.
As for inspirational experiences, we had a lesson with Anastasia Himeur on Friday. She has been investigating the Church for about 3 months and has the baptismal date of 17 Avril. A few months ago her 17 year old son was involved in the very brutal murder of a 14 year old boy here in Rivière Salée, and in the light of that tragedy she had open-heatedly accepted the Gospel and her life has changed. We taught her the law of tithing on Friday, and she found it to be a wonderful thing and desires to pay a full-tithe once she is baptized. She said that she feels her life is being illuminated with truth, and she stayed for all three hours on Sunday and participated in all the classes.
We had a very good lesson with an inactive man, who after 11 years of inactivity is coming back to Church and has experienced that amazing change of heart that Alma alludes to (as well as Ezechiel) in that his "stony heart" is now that of "flesh." He was scared that his heart would become hardened again, so we told him that if he did the daily things necessary to keep his change of heart that he would never have to be frightened of the stoniness' return. At our next lesson he nearly jumped out of his chair when he exclaimed that he thought it was too easy to just read the scriptures and pray and sing a church hymn when he felt temptation near, but he said that he had done those things and that they had worked for him! He was ecstatic to have experienced what his knowledge told him; he knew that he needed to do those small and simple things, but once put them into practice he received that witness and testimony that only living the Gospel will bring. It was thrilling for us to see the joy and the relief that he had in his eyes. He knew that he would be okay and that he would be able to keep the change of his heart.
That experience testified to me the one lesson that my mission has taught me over and over and over again: It is by the small and simple things that we do every day that will help us realize the great things in our lives. We must LIVE the gospel every day, moment to moment, if we wish to realize God's greatest aspiration for us - eternal life. But, I can only tell you that and give you that knowledge. You yourself must live it to know that it is true.
I already told Dad this, but today I read in Alma 56. I love how in these war chapter that the most reoccurring theme is the need for constant preparation. Nearly every chapter after 45 makes reference to this. Thus, preparation is not an end but, perhaps, a state. Faith without works is dead, and the Nephites knew that the Lord was on their side and that their faith was well based. Because of that knowledge they were CONTINUALLY making preparations against the enemy, because they understood the need for works. That is true faith. That is what we must do today - have faith that the Lord is on our side and be continually preparing and fortifying ourselves by daily efforts to stay close to Him. As we do that, we qualify for the Holy Spirit’s strength so we may boldly fight the evil one, who is always there and always attacking us.
Know that I love you and that I pray for you all. Elder Hamula told us at our last Zone Conference that if we were continually praying, reading our scriptures, seeking the Lord's help and working our best that we would be able to discern the Spirit from our own thoughts. How? Because the very thoughts we would have would be those inspired by the Spirit. Do what is right. Like Nephi in Nephi 15: 24-25, I too exhort you to hold to the rod of iron and read your scriptures. Therein is safety for your most beloved soul.
This week was filled with many new experiences for me in Rivière Salée. My new companions and I are delightfully enjoying the fact that as a threesome we can go practically everywhere. For example, our new recent convert, Pako Kilama, is this older man that loves serving the sister missionaries and before it was always hard for him to have to drive past the sisters walking because he could not take them in his car with him, but now with three of us he takes and picks us up all the time. Last Sunday he was especially excited to be able to take us to a fireside at Mont Dore.
As for inspirational experiences, we had a lesson with Anastasia Himeur on Friday. She has been investigating the Church for about 3 months and has the baptismal date of 17 Avril. A few months ago her 17 year old son was involved in the very brutal murder of a 14 year old boy here in Rivière Salée, and in the light of that tragedy she had open-heatedly accepted the Gospel and her life has changed. We taught her the law of tithing on Friday, and she found it to be a wonderful thing and desires to pay a full-tithe once she is baptized. She said that she feels her life is being illuminated with truth, and she stayed for all three hours on Sunday and participated in all the classes.
We had a very good lesson with an inactive man, who after 11 years of inactivity is coming back to Church and has experienced that amazing change of heart that Alma alludes to (as well as Ezechiel) in that his "stony heart" is now that of "flesh." He was scared that his heart would become hardened again, so we told him that if he did the daily things necessary to keep his change of heart that he would never have to be frightened of the stoniness' return. At our next lesson he nearly jumped out of his chair when he exclaimed that he thought it was too easy to just read the scriptures and pray and sing a church hymn when he felt temptation near, but he said that he had done those things and that they had worked for him! He was ecstatic to have experienced what his knowledge told him; he knew that he needed to do those small and simple things, but once put them into practice he received that witness and testimony that only living the Gospel will bring. It was thrilling for us to see the joy and the relief that he had in his eyes. He knew that he would be okay and that he would be able to keep the change of his heart.
That experience testified to me the one lesson that my mission has taught me over and over and over again: It is by the small and simple things that we do every day that will help us realize the great things in our lives. We must LIVE the gospel every day, moment to moment, if we wish to realize God's greatest aspiration for us - eternal life. But, I can only tell you that and give you that knowledge. You yourself must live it to know that it is true.
I already told Dad this, but today I read in Alma 56. I love how in these war chapter that the most reoccurring theme is the need for constant preparation. Nearly every chapter after 45 makes reference to this. Thus, preparation is not an end but, perhaps, a state. Faith without works is dead, and the Nephites knew that the Lord was on their side and that their faith was well based. Because of that knowledge they were CONTINUALLY making preparations against the enemy, because they understood the need for works. That is true faith. That is what we must do today - have faith that the Lord is on our side and be continually preparing and fortifying ourselves by daily efforts to stay close to Him. As we do that, we qualify for the Holy Spirit’s strength so we may boldly fight the evil one, who is always there and always attacking us.
Know that I love you and that I pray for you all. Elder Hamula told us at our last Zone Conference that if we were continually praying, reading our scriptures, seeking the Lord's help and working our best that we would be able to discern the Spirit from our own thoughts. How? Because the very thoughts we would have would be those inspired by the Spirit. Do what is right. Like Nephi in Nephi 15: 24-25, I too exhort you to hold to the rod of iron and read your scriptures. Therein is safety for your most beloved soul.
I love my mission. One of my favorite missionaries left to go home to Tahiti this morning, and I reflected on my mission and the fact that in three days I will be at my one year mark. I am doing all that I can to be good and obedient. I am giving it my all because I know that time is of the essence. Life passes all too quickly.
I love you.
Love,
Soeur Cummins
I love you.
Love,
Soeur Cummins
