June 16, 2014
Dear family and friends,
This will be my last letter home from South Africa. It has been an incredible two years in the service of the Lord, and it's hard to believe that it's coming to an end. This past week has been amazing, we continue to work hard and build up the church in our area. I'm grateful the Lord has continued to bless me with the strength physically to serve Him and the people of this country.
On Tuesday we met with a brother named S_____. He was a referral from some other Elders, I believe I spoke about him last week. We had our second lesson with him and his understanding is incredible! He read the entire introduction, testimony of the witnesses and the testimony of Joseph Smith. He agreed to be baptized when he comes to know the Book of Mormon is true. There is nothing greater then when you teach people as a missionary and they understand the message so well.
We continue to help our investigators D_____ and S_____ prepare for baptism. They came to church on Sunday, we're preparing them for baptism in July. They are really great guys and they have such a strong desire to learn. They have been answering all of the questions in the pamphlets and writing down their answers on paper before we come to visit them. I remember the first time we met D_____ he told us: "I wish to be like you guys someday." He says that he has seen changes in his life since he started meeting with us and learning more about the true gospel. They support each other so much as brothers, when we find guys like this it always motivates me to continue to knock on doors.
I got a letter from L______ (he was baptized when I served in PJ) and he is preparing to leave on his mission. It's great to hear that one of the people we were able to baptize will now take those steps to serve the Lord. Seeing people progress in the gospel step by step is a wonderful feeling, I've come to feel the joy that the Lord speaks of in D&C 18 in a small measure as a missionary. I'm so grateful I've been able to visit many of my previous areas since I've had the privilege of serving as an assistant in the mission. It has been a true blessing to serve the Lord in a leadership capacity, I've learned so much in the service of others and it has been a humbling experience.
Serving a mission really has been the best two years of my life. Was it always easy? No, but it was worth it, and it was the challenges that made it rewarding. I'm thankful for the trying times in missionary work because that's how I've grown stronger. I'll never regret these two years I have given up in the service of the Lord; I've grown spiritually beyond imagination. I have become more converted to the Lord and His gospel; conversion is the process of a lifetime, but I've made steps up that ladder more then ever before in my life. I'm eternally grateful for the people I've met and the lives I've seen changed because of this gospel. I have no doubt in my heart that this is the Lord's church, He directs it through a living prophet and this gospel was truly restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith. I have come to know more than ever before that the Book of Mormon is true. I know it's true because it testifies of the Savior Jesus Christ and through its words we have the fullness of the everlasting gospel. I know that Jesus Christ is indeed the Savior of the world, I have felt His atoning blood in my life and I will forever be in His debt.
I am so grateful for the love, support and encouragement I have been shown by so many of you in these two years. You have no idea how many times I have felt the influence of your prayers; I have felt the presence of God's angels in His service.
I'll see you all on the other side.
Much love,
Elder Summers
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Golden Lessons
June 9, 2014
Dear family and friends,
The time is going too quickly as I only have 1 p-day left after this! I'm not really ready to come back yet because we are teaching some great people at the moment. Life moves on though, and I know the Elder that replaces me will help the work continue to progress. We have been traveling this past week to work with some of the zone leaders in the mission which has been wonderful. It was my last time to visit with some of these Elders and saying good-bye is never easy.
On Tuesday we spent the day in my old area of Osizweni to work with the ZL's there. It was great to see that the Osizweni branch is continuing to develop, and it was wonderful to see some of the people we baptized continue to progress in the gospel. The Elders serving there are both quite new to the area so I was able to show them a few of the people we had been teaching and some less actives. The next day we worked with the ZL's in PMB, it was my first time visiting their area and it was great to see another part of the mission.
We arrived back in Durban on Thursday and we were able to get back to work in our area. We have found some great people the last few days! We taught a great lesson to a new family we've been teaching called the N______ family. It is a grandmother, mother and her young son. We taught the restoration and their understanding of the message was incredible. They had amazing questions and I remember walking out of the lesson wishing every time we taught people they could understand that well! It was one of those moments where I felt the spirit in an undeniable way. We'll meet with them again on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to see how they progress.
A few days ago we got a referral from the Elders that work in the ward with us in Pinetown. There was a YSA aged man that approached them on the street asking if the Elders could visit with him but he's in our area. We decided to check on him yesterday, his name is S______ and he's from Swaziland. His sister is a member of the church in Swaziland and he has visited the church there before. We also met with his roommate who is also from Swaziland, they're so interested in the message and they immediately wanted us to explain the Book of Mormon to them. We taught the entire message of the restoration, and once again their understanding was incredible. They said they have to come to church this Sunday; I wish all of our investigators had the enthusiasm they have to come to church! These 2 guys are the types of investigators that you just know when you meet them they are prepared by the Lord. I am quite hopeful they will progress in the gospel, it's always nice when you find golden investigators-- especially potential Melchizedek priesthood holders!
I didn't think it could get any better, but I was wrong because we ended Sunday evening with another great lesson. About a week ago we were walking on the street doing some contacting when we found a young father working on his yard. We spoke to him for a minute and he was very friendly towards us. He invited us to come back and visit when his whole family was home. Well as we had an appointment fall through last night we decided to go check his family; as we pulled up to the house he was walking in with his family. He stays with his wife and 2 young children. His wife thought we were missionaries from a certain church (everyone thinks we are from this church... take your guesses) so she wasn't too friendly at first, but then she found out we do this for 2 years and we wanted to open with a prayer so he discovered we are different. They were so open and willing to listen to what we had to share with them. They wanted to know how they know if they are going to the right church which led perfectly in the story of Joseph Smith. We left them with the Book of Mormon and they had a strong desire to learn more. The wife (named Nthombi) said to her husband: "How have we never heard about this book before! It sounds amazing." We'll be meeting with them again this week, it's so nice to find a young married couple because that's incredibly difficult to find here in South Africa.
I have felt the tender mercies of the Lord time and time again as I continue to serve Him with all my heart. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been worth it. I will continue to give it my all even as the final days count down in my service of the Lord. This work is led by Him, I have no doubt in my find. It's a tremendous blessing to share this wonderful gospel with God's children, it has and will continue to bless the lives of many.
Much love,
Elder Summers
Dear family and friends,
The time is going too quickly as I only have 1 p-day left after this! I'm not really ready to come back yet because we are teaching some great people at the moment. Life moves on though, and I know the Elder that replaces me will help the work continue to progress. We have been traveling this past week to work with some of the zone leaders in the mission which has been wonderful. It was my last time to visit with some of these Elders and saying good-bye is never easy.
On Tuesday we spent the day in my old area of Osizweni to work with the ZL's there. It was great to see that the Osizweni branch is continuing to develop, and it was wonderful to see some of the people we baptized continue to progress in the gospel. The Elders serving there are both quite new to the area so I was able to show them a few of the people we had been teaching and some less actives. The next day we worked with the ZL's in PMB, it was my first time visiting their area and it was great to see another part of the mission.
We arrived back in Durban on Thursday and we were able to get back to work in our area. We have found some great people the last few days! We taught a great lesson to a new family we've been teaching called the N______ family. It is a grandmother, mother and her young son. We taught the restoration and their understanding of the message was incredible. They had amazing questions and I remember walking out of the lesson wishing every time we taught people they could understand that well! It was one of those moments where I felt the spirit in an undeniable way. We'll meet with them again on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to see how they progress.
A few days ago we got a referral from the Elders that work in the ward with us in Pinetown. There was a YSA aged man that approached them on the street asking if the Elders could visit with him but he's in our area. We decided to check on him yesterday, his name is S______ and he's from Swaziland. His sister is a member of the church in Swaziland and he has visited the church there before. We also met with his roommate who is also from Swaziland, they're so interested in the message and they immediately wanted us to explain the Book of Mormon to them. We taught the entire message of the restoration, and once again their understanding was incredible. They said they have to come to church this Sunday; I wish all of our investigators had the enthusiasm they have to come to church! These 2 guys are the types of investigators that you just know when you meet them they are prepared by the Lord. I am quite hopeful they will progress in the gospel, it's always nice when you find golden investigators-- especially potential Melchizedek priesthood holders!
I didn't think it could get any better, but I was wrong because we ended Sunday evening with another great lesson. About a week ago we were walking on the street doing some contacting when we found a young father working on his yard. We spoke to him for a minute and he was very friendly towards us. He invited us to come back and visit when his whole family was home. Well as we had an appointment fall through last night we decided to go check his family; as we pulled up to the house he was walking in with his family. He stays with his wife and 2 young children. His wife thought we were missionaries from a certain church (everyone thinks we are from this church... take your guesses) so she wasn't too friendly at first, but then she found out we do this for 2 years and we wanted to open with a prayer so he discovered we are different. They were so open and willing to listen to what we had to share with them. They wanted to know how they know if they are going to the right church which led perfectly in the story of Joseph Smith. We left them with the Book of Mormon and they had a strong desire to learn more. The wife (named Nthombi) said to her husband: "How have we never heard about this book before! It sounds amazing." We'll be meeting with them again this week, it's so nice to find a young married couple because that's incredibly difficult to find here in South Africa.
I have felt the tender mercies of the Lord time and time again as I continue to serve Him with all my heart. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been worth it. I will continue to give it my all even as the final days count down in my service of the Lord. This work is led by Him, I have no doubt in my find. It's a tremendous blessing to share this wonderful gospel with God's children, it has and will continue to bless the lives of many.
Much love,
Elder Summers
Moving Forward
May 26, 2014
Dear family and friends,
These past couple of weeks have been busy as ever. Sorry that I've become lackadaisical when it comes to writing letters home. We are usually so busy on Mondays it is difficult to find the time to sit down and write! This past Tuesday we had a missionary fireside in our ward that went really well. We had been planning it for a while and we were able to get President Zackrison to attend. We had a great turn out for the fireside (always nice when you tell people there is food) and President Zackrison set a great tone for the meeting when he talked about they "why" of missionary work. We had 2 YSA's speak who will be leaving on their missions soon and they gave great testimonies. I was able to speak and share some of my experiences that I have seen on my mission when members and missionaries work together. The spirit was strong and everyone came out of that meeting motivated to act.
We had a wonderful lesson with our investigator Sister N_____on Wednesday evening. We had asked her a week ago to start reading from the beginning of the Book of Mormon. When we followed up we found that she had read from 1 Nephi to Mosiah! She understood it perfectly and I was shocked to see how much she had read. She is progressing very well and she has come to church the last 2 weeks and the missionary fireside. Her 2 children love church also which is always a good thing! She agreed to be baptized if the Lord answers her prayers; she just keeps talking about how she is scared to leave her church but she knows everything we teach her is true. It's incredible to see how the Book of Mormon can change people's lives.
We also have a YSA named S_____who is progressing towards baptism. He came to church for the first time yesterday and he really has a strong desire to change his life. He used to be taught by missionaries along time ago and we tracted into him a few weeks ago. We have taught him the first 3 lessons and his understanding is great. I hope he'll be able to commit and receive the fellowship he needs as he continues to go forward. We also have another YSA named Dumsani who lives right next to S______. He is around the same age as S_____ and he is also progressing quite well. He has a strong desire to change his life; the first time he met us he said "I want to be like you guys are." I took that as a big compliment and it's always nice to see young men that have the desire to set aside the things of the world and grow closer to the Savior. We had a nice lesson with him yesterday and committed him to be baptized in July.
On Tuesday/Wednesday we had our missionary leadership council meetings which went quite well. We conducted the training of the zone leaders and focused on the importance of staying positive, eliminating pride and various other topics in the mission. I have been thinking a lot lately about the importance of staying positive in life. We have an equation in the mission which says faith + obedience + hard work = miracles but sometimes I forget the first step of faith which is often manifest in my attitude. If I am complaining or being negative it shows a lack of faith in the Lord's purposes. I love what PMG says in chapter 8: "The attitude you have towards your mission experience is a reflection of your love toward your Heavenly Father and His Son and your respect for the priesthood." I really have the choice each day when I wake up; I can choose to be happy or I can choose to be sad. In missionary work we face a lot of challenges and I think it can be a lot easier to complain than to stay positive but I'm doing my best to look at the glass half full even as I finish out my last few weeks.
Thank you for your continued love and support! The Lord is in this work and in the details of our lives. May we always look to the Savior as our example.
Much love,
Elder Summers
Dear family and friends,
These past couple of weeks have been busy as ever. Sorry that I've become lackadaisical when it comes to writing letters home. We are usually so busy on Mondays it is difficult to find the time to sit down and write! This past Tuesday we had a missionary fireside in our ward that went really well. We had been planning it for a while and we were able to get President Zackrison to attend. We had a great turn out for the fireside (always nice when you tell people there is food) and President Zackrison set a great tone for the meeting when he talked about they "why" of missionary work. We had 2 YSA's speak who will be leaving on their missions soon and they gave great testimonies. I was able to speak and share some of my experiences that I have seen on my mission when members and missionaries work together. The spirit was strong and everyone came out of that meeting motivated to act.
We had a wonderful lesson with our investigator Sister N_____on Wednesday evening. We had asked her a week ago to start reading from the beginning of the Book of Mormon. When we followed up we found that she had read from 1 Nephi to Mosiah! She understood it perfectly and I was shocked to see how much she had read. She is progressing very well and she has come to church the last 2 weeks and the missionary fireside. Her 2 children love church also which is always a good thing! She agreed to be baptized if the Lord answers her prayers; she just keeps talking about how she is scared to leave her church but she knows everything we teach her is true. It's incredible to see how the Book of Mormon can change people's lives.
We also have a YSA named S_____who is progressing towards baptism. He came to church for the first time yesterday and he really has a strong desire to change his life. He used to be taught by missionaries along time ago and we tracted into him a few weeks ago. We have taught him the first 3 lessons and his understanding is great. I hope he'll be able to commit and receive the fellowship he needs as he continues to go forward. We also have another YSA named Dumsani who lives right next to S______. He is around the same age as S_____ and he is also progressing quite well. He has a strong desire to change his life; the first time he met us he said "I want to be like you guys are." I took that as a big compliment and it's always nice to see young men that have the desire to set aside the things of the world and grow closer to the Savior. We had a nice lesson with him yesterday and committed him to be baptized in July.
On Tuesday/Wednesday we had our missionary leadership council meetings which went quite well. We conducted the training of the zone leaders and focused on the importance of staying positive, eliminating pride and various other topics in the mission. I have been thinking a lot lately about the importance of staying positive in life. We have an equation in the mission which says faith + obedience + hard work = miracles but sometimes I forget the first step of faith which is often manifest in my attitude. If I am complaining or being negative it shows a lack of faith in the Lord's purposes. I love what PMG says in chapter 8: "The attitude you have towards your mission experience is a reflection of your love toward your Heavenly Father and His Son and your respect for the priesthood." I really have the choice each day when I wake up; I can choose to be happy or I can choose to be sad. In missionary work we face a lot of challenges and I think it can be a lot easier to complain than to stay positive but I'm doing my best to look at the glass half full even as I finish out my last few weeks.
Thank you for your continued love and support! The Lord is in this work and in the details of our lives. May we always look to the Savior as our example.
Much love,
Elder Summers
Pressing Forward
May 3, 2014
It's been an interesting week filled with ups and downs as we continue to try to build up our area. As I've mentioned before we had to "white wash" our area at the beginning of this transfer (about 5 weeks ago) so we've been starting from scratch. It's tough at times because we have other responsibilities pertaining to our leadership calling in the office so we are doing our best to balance that with working in our area. At times it can be discouraging when we have to continue to find, find and find but it's incredible how the Lord leads you to the elect as you move forward in diligence and faith.
On Monday we had a zone activity at President Zackrison's house which was quite a bit of fun. We were able to play sports, eat some nice food and watch a missionary movie together. The following day we had a "mini" transfer with a couple of Elders moving from the Botswana mission to our mission. We had some changes in the mission to accommodate the new arrivals so we spent the day arranging logistics and welcoming the new Elders. With the new Elders arriving in the mission we were able to open one new area in the mission where it was very much needed!
On Wednesday I was working with some Elders when I received a call from President that he wanted us to attend a Young Men's youth convention later that night. We agreed to go and we brought the 2 other Elders that we were working with. The convention was being held about an hour south of Durban at a camp with about 100 young men from the Durban stake. We were asked to encourage the young men to serve missions and share our testimonies of why serving a mission is so important. I shared my own experiences about my decision to serve the Lord and the tremendous blessing it has been dedicating these 2 years to Him. The young men from Margate were there along with Bro. Jean-Pierre who is the YM's President (we lived on his property when I served in Margate). It was my first time seeing them since I left in October 2012 so it was wonderful to see some old friends once again.
The next day my companion and I were in our area when we decided to check on a family that we had contacted last week. We found that they were not home but we felt prompted to do some finding close by. We traveled down a road where we found a complex with the outside gate open so we decided to walk in. It was a holiday so we knew that it would be a good time to find families at home together. We immediately found a house with multiple cars where we knocked on the door and the father with a surprised look on his face decided to invite us in where we found him and his wife. We explained to them our purpose and told them that we love to answer peoples questions such as "Why are there so many Christian churches?" Of course that question is on the minds of many South Africans because of the thousands of various denominations here so that father immediately wanted to know the answer. We started into the Restoration and as we were teaching it was incredible to see the interest of this man. After explaining the apostasy he said:"So your telling me there is no one that can communicate with God anymore? What are we supposed to do?" I'm always excited when that question comes because it shows that they understand the apostasy and it leads perfectly into the restoration. We shared the story of Joseph Smith and the spirit in the room was undeniable. We left them with the Book of Mormon and as we were about to close he asked: "But before you go I want to know where I go when I die?" Hmm... It took me a second to respond because we had already been there a really long time and that's a long topic but we promised him we would talk about in more in depth next time and we testified that life does not end at death. He was anxious to learn more which is always a good sign and it was wonderful to find a full family! It's extremely difficult to find families here so that was a real blessing. We are hoping and praying they'll be able to progress.
I have been reflecting a lot on the scripture in 1 Ne. 1:20 that states: "the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he has chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." I love this scripture because I've seen it come to fruition time and time again as I exercise faith in His wisdom and timing. His tender mercies truly are manifested in our lives daily but we don't always recognize them. I am truly grateful for His hand over this work because I know without His help none of this would be possible. We are out here to find the elect and that we will do with His help! The work will roll forward despite the opposition of satan because the truth cannot be stopped.
Much love!
Elder Summers
It's been an interesting week filled with ups and downs as we continue to try to build up our area. As I've mentioned before we had to "white wash" our area at the beginning of this transfer (about 5 weeks ago) so we've been starting from scratch. It's tough at times because we have other responsibilities pertaining to our leadership calling in the office so we are doing our best to balance that with working in our area. At times it can be discouraging when we have to continue to find, find and find but it's incredible how the Lord leads you to the elect as you move forward in diligence and faith.
On Monday we had a zone activity at President Zackrison's house which was quite a bit of fun. We were able to play sports, eat some nice food and watch a missionary movie together. The following day we had a "mini" transfer with a couple of Elders moving from the Botswana mission to our mission. We had some changes in the mission to accommodate the new arrivals so we spent the day arranging logistics and welcoming the new Elders. With the new Elders arriving in the mission we were able to open one new area in the mission where it was very much needed!
On Wednesday I was working with some Elders when I received a call from President that he wanted us to attend a Young Men's youth convention later that night. We agreed to go and we brought the 2 other Elders that we were working with. The convention was being held about an hour south of Durban at a camp with about 100 young men from the Durban stake. We were asked to encourage the young men to serve missions and share our testimonies of why serving a mission is so important. I shared my own experiences about my decision to serve the Lord and the tremendous blessing it has been dedicating these 2 years to Him. The young men from Margate were there along with Bro. Jean-Pierre who is the YM's President (we lived on his property when I served in Margate). It was my first time seeing them since I left in October 2012 so it was wonderful to see some old friends once again.
The next day my companion and I were in our area when we decided to check on a family that we had contacted last week. We found that they were not home but we felt prompted to do some finding close by. We traveled down a road where we found a complex with the outside gate open so we decided to walk in. It was a holiday so we knew that it would be a good time to find families at home together. We immediately found a house with multiple cars where we knocked on the door and the father with a surprised look on his face decided to invite us in where we found him and his wife. We explained to them our purpose and told them that we love to answer peoples questions such as "Why are there so many Christian churches?" Of course that question is on the minds of many South Africans because of the thousands of various denominations here so that father immediately wanted to know the answer. We started into the Restoration and as we were teaching it was incredible to see the interest of this man. After explaining the apostasy he said:"So your telling me there is no one that can communicate with God anymore? What are we supposed to do?" I'm always excited when that question comes because it shows that they understand the apostasy and it leads perfectly into the restoration. We shared the story of Joseph Smith and the spirit in the room was undeniable. We left them with the Book of Mormon and as we were about to close he asked: "But before you go I want to know where I go when I die?" Hmm... It took me a second to respond because we had already been there a really long time and that's a long topic but we promised him we would talk about in more in depth next time and we testified that life does not end at death. He was anxious to learn more which is always a good sign and it was wonderful to find a full family! It's extremely difficult to find families here so that was a real blessing. We are hoping and praying they'll be able to progress.
I have been reflecting a lot on the scripture in 1 Ne. 1:20 that states: "the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he has chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." I love this scripture because I've seen it come to fruition time and time again as I exercise faith in His wisdom and timing. His tender mercies truly are manifested in our lives daily but we don't always recognize them. I am truly grateful for His hand over this work because I know without His help none of this would be possible. We are out here to find the elect and that we will do with His help! The work will roll forward despite the opposition of satan because the truth cannot be stopped.
Much love!
Elder Summers
In Charge at the Office??
April 26, 2014
Dear family and friends,
It's been another wonderful week here in the South Africa Durban mission! On Monday we were able to go and play some basketball for the first time on my mission. Almost every sports activity on my mission as revolved around soccer so it was nice to be able to play a sport where I actually know what I'm doing. On Tuesday we had our final zone conference here on the coast with about 80 missionaries. The zone conference went well just as the other ones and it was great to be able to see so many Elders gathered together in such force. When that many missionaries are present the spirit that illuminates the room is undeniable and we all feel strengthened by each others presence. I know that I felt very motivated to finish strongly after coming out of zone conference!
President and the couples have been gone for a few days for a couples retreat at a game reserve. So we have been put in charge! (Not really but sort of in a way...) We've had to handle all the office stuff and it's incredible how many things can go wrong when all the couples are gone. It's always great to serve the Elders here in the office though and I have to laugh at some of the experiences they have at times. On Wednesday night we got a call at about 9:30pm that our fellow Elders in our ward were stuck at a gas station because their card wasn't working. They didn't have enough cash to pay for the gas so we had to drive 15 minutes to meet them and pay for their gas. It's a good thing they have a reserve bank here in the office! Haha.
We've been doing quite a bit of finding within our area to try and build up our teaching pool as we are brand new to this place. We had a couple of neat experiences that I'll share with all of you. On Thursday we were walking away from a house where our 4pm appointment had fallen through. As we were walking from the house there "just happened" to be a taxi that dropped off an older lady with a lot of groceries. There were way too many groceries for her to carry so we offered to help carry them to her house. Her house was further then expected and by the end of walking to her house my arms were finished! The mother didn't really speak English but she was very grateful for our help. After departing from her house we were walking back to our car when I recognized the name of street we were on from a former investigator record in the area book. I couldn't remember the exact house number but we decided to try and find the house. I know that the Lord places opportunities in our path for a reason so I felt strongly we were in this area for a reason.
We couldn't find the house that was a former investigator but we did find some other wonderful people. The first house we found a father who was slashing the trees next to his home. We offered to help him but he said he was OK so we told him we would come back on Monday to do service for him. He accepted and was very friendly to us so we left him with a pamphlet and we're hoping that through doing service we'll be able to teach his whole family. It's difficult to find a friendly father like that who is willing to talk to us so we're excited that there is potential there. After visiting that house we walked up the hill where we knocked on a few more doors. We found another father who was quite friendly to us and invited us to come back and teach him this weekend. Then we knocked on the house next door to him and found a 21 year old young man and his mother. They were extremely friendly to us and we sat down and taught them part of the Plan of Salvation. It was just so nice to be able to go from house to house and find potential priesthood holders who were willing to talk to us. That's something that's not easy to do in any part of the world so the Lord has blessed us with some great potential investigators.
Yesterday we went into an apartment complex searching for a couple of former investigators. We knocked on their doors but none of them were home. As I mentioned before the Lord leads us to certain places so it's important to always be following the spirit and looking for opportunities. As we were walking down the stairs we knocked on a door where a young man opened for us. He told us he wasn't interested in the gospel and that he enjoys doing other kinds of "stuff." At first it seemed like a door where we say "Okay, thank you for your time and have a nice day." but he mentioned something that got us talking. He said he doesn't like all the churches fighting with each other and the confusion among churches with the same Bible. I asked him: "What if I could tell you why we have all that confusion and the reason we do this as missionaries is because we know that answer to that?" That made him pause for a moment and he said lots of people have tried to give him the answer but they can't. We asked him to give us 10 minutes and we'll give him the answer. He invited us in for 10 minutes and we instantly went into the establishment of Jesus Christs' church and the apostasy. After explaining the apostasy he said:"So your saying everything is gone and were all screwed?" I wanted to laugh but it showed that he understood what we were saying unlike most people when explaining the apostasy. It gave us the perfect opportunity to share the restoration and the story of Joseph Smith. We left him with the Book of Mormon and he invited us to come back Sunday night. It's interesting how a door contact that seemed like it was going no where led to a wonderful lesson where the spirit of the Lord was felt. The Lord is mindful of His children and he will lead all honest seekers to a knowledge of the truth.
Until next week!
Love you all,
Elder Summers
Dear family and friends,
It's been another wonderful week here in the South Africa Durban mission! On Monday we were able to go and play some basketball for the first time on my mission. Almost every sports activity on my mission as revolved around soccer so it was nice to be able to play a sport where I actually know what I'm doing. On Tuesday we had our final zone conference here on the coast with about 80 missionaries. The zone conference went well just as the other ones and it was great to be able to see so many Elders gathered together in such force. When that many missionaries are present the spirit that illuminates the room is undeniable and we all feel strengthened by each others presence. I know that I felt very motivated to finish strongly after coming out of zone conference!
President and the couples have been gone for a few days for a couples retreat at a game reserve. So we have been put in charge! (Not really but sort of in a way...) We've had to handle all the office stuff and it's incredible how many things can go wrong when all the couples are gone. It's always great to serve the Elders here in the office though and I have to laugh at some of the experiences they have at times. On Wednesday night we got a call at about 9:30pm that our fellow Elders in our ward were stuck at a gas station because their card wasn't working. They didn't have enough cash to pay for the gas so we had to drive 15 minutes to meet them and pay for their gas. It's a good thing they have a reserve bank here in the office! Haha.
We've been doing quite a bit of finding within our area to try and build up our teaching pool as we are brand new to this place. We had a couple of neat experiences that I'll share with all of you. On Thursday we were walking away from a house where our 4pm appointment had fallen through. As we were walking from the house there "just happened" to be a taxi that dropped off an older lady with a lot of groceries. There were way too many groceries for her to carry so we offered to help carry them to her house. Her house was further then expected and by the end of walking to her house my arms were finished! The mother didn't really speak English but she was very grateful for our help. After departing from her house we were walking back to our car when I recognized the name of street we were on from a former investigator record in the area book. I couldn't remember the exact house number but we decided to try and find the house. I know that the Lord places opportunities in our path for a reason so I felt strongly we were in this area for a reason.
We couldn't find the house that was a former investigator but we did find some other wonderful people. The first house we found a father who was slashing the trees next to his home. We offered to help him but he said he was OK so we told him we would come back on Monday to do service for him. He accepted and was very friendly to us so we left him with a pamphlet and we're hoping that through doing service we'll be able to teach his whole family. It's difficult to find a friendly father like that who is willing to talk to us so we're excited that there is potential there. After visiting that house we walked up the hill where we knocked on a few more doors. We found another father who was quite friendly to us and invited us to come back and teach him this weekend. Then we knocked on the house next door to him and found a 21 year old young man and his mother. They were extremely friendly to us and we sat down and taught them part of the Plan of Salvation. It was just so nice to be able to go from house to house and find potential priesthood holders who were willing to talk to us. That's something that's not easy to do in any part of the world so the Lord has blessed us with some great potential investigators.
Yesterday we went into an apartment complex searching for a couple of former investigators. We knocked on their doors but none of them were home. As I mentioned before the Lord leads us to certain places so it's important to always be following the spirit and looking for opportunities. As we were walking down the stairs we knocked on a door where a young man opened for us. He told us he wasn't interested in the gospel and that he enjoys doing other kinds of "stuff." At first it seemed like a door where we say "Okay, thank you for your time and have a nice day." but he mentioned something that got us talking. He said he doesn't like all the churches fighting with each other and the confusion among churches with the same Bible. I asked him: "What if I could tell you why we have all that confusion and the reason we do this as missionaries is because we know that answer to that?" That made him pause for a moment and he said lots of people have tried to give him the answer but they can't. We asked him to give us 10 minutes and we'll give him the answer. He invited us in for 10 minutes and we instantly went into the establishment of Jesus Christs' church and the apostasy. After explaining the apostasy he said:"So your saying everything is gone and were all screwed?" I wanted to laugh but it showed that he understood what we were saying unlike most people when explaining the apostasy. It gave us the perfect opportunity to share the restoration and the story of Joseph Smith. We left him with the Book of Mormon and he invited us to come back Sunday night. It's interesting how a door contact that seemed like it was going no where led to a wonderful lesson where the spirit of the Lord was felt. The Lord is mindful of His children and he will lead all honest seekers to a knowledge of the truth.
Until next week!
Love you all,
Elder Summers
Easter Weekend
April 21, 2014
Dear family & friends,
Dear family & friends,
We are back from our travels around the mission as we had 2 of our 3 zone conferences in Bloemfontein and Newcastle. The zone conferences were focused primarily about President's vision of becoming consecrated missionaries, working hard and the importance of planning. As part of the zone conference I had the opportunity to share an inspirational story that I received in my greenie area called "Pushing The Rock." That's a story that has motivated me so much when nothing seems to be moving. I would recommend looking it up! We had the first zone conference in Newcastle on Tuesday and we had the zone conference in Bloemfontein on Friday. In between the zone conferences we were able to work with the Zone leaders in Welkom and the Elders in Phuthaditjhaba. As you know those are both my previous areas and it was my last time being able to pass through there.
When I worked with the Elders in Welkom I was happy to see that the work has really progressed there. I remember thinking in my 3 months that I served there nothing was happening but I was so grateful to see that the Elders have kept the ball rolling and a lot of the seeds that were planted have not gone to waste. The branch is moving forward there despite the difficulty of the area and it should be a ward soon enough. We had some great lessons that day and I learned a lot from the young Elders working there.
The branch in PJ seems to be struggling a bit but I was grateful we were able to work with the Elders there to try and help them out. I showed the Elders a lot of members, less actives and potential former investigators while I was there for the day. They are both new to the area so a lot of people had been lost. I was so happy to see that a lot of the people that were baptized while I served there are still strong in the church. Brother L_____is still very active and is looking to get married in the church soon. Brother L_____g is currently preparing to serve a mission and is serving as the branch clerk. Brother B______ is doing great and is progressing towards receiving the Melchizedek priesthood. Both of his younger children have been baptized into the church as well. There's not a greater feeling as a missionary than to see how the gospel can completely change someones life. I'll never forget the converts in that area and the miracles I saw there.
At the end of each zone conference there is a section for the departing Elders to share their testimony if it is their last zone conference. I decided to share my testimony in the Bloemfontein zone conference since I have an affinity for that area and I remember so many great experiences there. It was wonderful as always to be able to testify of the truth but sad at the same time as I recognize this is my last zone conference as a missionary. It was a special experience to be able to share my testimony on this Easter weekend as we have had the opportunity to reflect upon the Saviors atoning sacrifice. I have come to feel His atoning blood in my life as I constantly fall short of the glory of God but through His grace and mercy I can repent and come unto Him. I have spent a lot of time the last few days reading about and pondering upon the Saviors sacrifice. My conversion to His gospel continues to deepen as I realize the majesty of His sacrifice for me and for all of us. As PMG states: "As your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase." That's a statement I have reflected upon again and again. If my desire to keep the commandments, to share His gospel or to love those around me is wavering then that means my testimony of the Atonement needs to be strengthened.
I was reading in 2 Ne. 2 this morning when Lehi is speaking to his son Joseph about the atonement. He talks about the great importance to make these things (meaning the atonement) known to the inhabitants of the earth. Sharing with those around me about the atonement is something that brings me so much joy that I just want to share it with everyone! It gives me hope to know that because Jesus Christ resurrected we will all be able to reunite someday with our loved ones. Death is something that we cannot avoid, it's a step in the Plan of Salvation but it's not the end. As Abinadi states: "But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the string of death is swallowed up in Christ." (Mosiah 16:8) I have no doubt this is true and that through our Redeemer we will all stand in the presence of God someday. These doctrines are at the focal point of the gospel and nothing else matters until we gain a testimony of these truths. I know that Grandpa is struggling and his mortal journey is about to come to an end but it's part of our Heavenly Father's plan. I have no doubt everything happens in His time and according to His will; that is something I have come to see time and time again. That's the beauty of the gospel, we know it's not the end but simply a beginning. Our lives didn't begin at birth and they will not end at death. Stay strong, move forward in faith and the Lord will bless each of us with the peace and comfort of His Spirit.
I love you all and my prayers are with you.
Elder Summers
Work, Work, Work
April 12, 2014
Hello everyone,
This past week has been a great one filled with many tender mercies from the Lord. We spent quite a bit of time proselyting in our area which was nice in addition to the other office work we've been doing. We had 2 training meetings for the zone leaders this past week first on the coast then for the outer zones. We spent quite a bit of time talking about consecration, hard work and leadership responsibilities. It was probably one of the best leadership training meetings we have had. We are currently preparing for zone conferences starting on Tuesday in Newcastle. I'm really excited for these zone conferences but at the same time I just realized this is going to be my last zone conference on mission. It's interesting as I reflect upon the zone conferences throughout my mission and what a tremendous motivation they were to improve and keep moving forward.
On Wednesday after completing our training meeting at the mission home we came over to the office to pick up a few items. As we were in the office a man came in looking for Elder Poelman (vehicle coordinator). He told us about how he had been directed here by the Pinetown Elders (2 other Elders in our ward) who had hit his side mirror and damaged it. Elder Poelman was out of the office so while we were waiting for him we began to talk to this man. He seemed really curious about the church and so I got him a pamphlet and a DVD and explained a little bit about our role as missionaries. Then Elder Poelman got to the office and spoke with him and told him he would pay for the minor damage which occurred but then said: "Since I'm going to pay for your mirror you have to listen to a lesson from these Elders here (pointing to my companion and I) while I go and get the money." He then closed the door and we all looked at each other with stares. Haha.
As we began talking to him more he immediately asked us "Why are there so many churches today? I am so confused so that's why I don't go to church anymore." Whenever someone asks that question it always gets me excited because we have the answer! We ended up teaching the entire restoration and as we recited the words of Joesph Smith's first vision the spirit illuminated the room. The man had quite a few questions but he seemed to be quite satisfied with our answers. He told us at the end that he didn't have to come to our office to get this resolved but when he first met the missionaries he was curious. It's incredible what he spirit can do and how those who search for the truth are ultimately led to the truth. We are hoping to meet with him again in the future and we'll see what happens. It's always nice when investigators come directly to you!
Not more than 2 hours after teaching that lesson we started to go check on some former investigators we found in the area book. We were led to a house where the missionaries had been teaching a couple of individuals. As we were invited into the house by a little boy who answered the door we could hear in the back room that something was wrong. After sitting in the entry room for a few minutes a man came out and began to talk to us. It was apparent that he was used to the missionaries and he explained to us that their brother had passed away earlier that day. We began talking to him and he was very glad we came at the time we did. We shared with him from the Book of Mormon about the spirit world and my favorite scripture in Mosiah 16:7-8. It was not by coincidence that we had been led there that night as a tender mercy to that family in their time of need. The man that we were teaching was named Sindy and he told us that each time the missionaries came he was usually busy but he felt prompted that he needs to meet with us. We are going to his home later tonight so we hope to have a lesson with him and the whole family. There is nothing greater than testifying of the truths of the Plan of Salvation and the restored gospel.
On Friday I was on exchanges with the zone leaders in Umlazi. Umlazi was the first zone I was in when I served in Margate and it felt so long ago! They have a nice flat that overlooks the ocean. As I looked out over the ocean again it reminded me of when I was there on my first ever exchange as a greenie on my mission looking over the ocean and thinking that 2 years was the longest time ever. Haha. Time flies and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to be in Umlazi again. We spent a bit of the day tracting and facing a lot of rejection but we kept saying one more door...one more door... one more door and each time it seemed to get worse. We got in the car and decided to check on a less active only to find that the less active wasn't home but one of the ZL's decided to knock on one more door across from the less actives house. As we knocked on that door a mother let us into the house. She had seen missionaries before at uShaka marine world (like sea world) where she works. She was always curious as to what we do exactly so we were able to answer all of her questions. She was so shocked that we do this for 2 years and that led into why we do this. We taught the entire restoration and the spirit in that room was intense! By the end she asked "How can I really know what your telling me is true?" That led perfectly into the purpose of the Book of Mormon which we left her with and she committed to read for herself. I was glad that we knocked on that one more door because it made all the rejections before that worth it.
It's been a week filled with a lot of small miracles and blessings as we continue to go out and shared the restored gospel. I'm so grateful for the Lord's hand over this great work and we couldn't do it without His help. There is no greater joy in this life then being a tool in the Lord's hands to bring salvation to His children. It's not always easy but in the end it's worth it; I'm grateful for the challenges we face as missionaries as it helps us become more converted to the gospel.
Have a wonderful week and may the Lord bless you all.
Love,
Elder Summers
Hello everyone,
This past week has been a great one filled with many tender mercies from the Lord. We spent quite a bit of time proselyting in our area which was nice in addition to the other office work we've been doing. We had 2 training meetings for the zone leaders this past week first on the coast then for the outer zones. We spent quite a bit of time talking about consecration, hard work and leadership responsibilities. It was probably one of the best leadership training meetings we have had. We are currently preparing for zone conferences starting on Tuesday in Newcastle. I'm really excited for these zone conferences but at the same time I just realized this is going to be my last zone conference on mission. It's interesting as I reflect upon the zone conferences throughout my mission and what a tremendous motivation they were to improve and keep moving forward.
On Wednesday after completing our training meeting at the mission home we came over to the office to pick up a few items. As we were in the office a man came in looking for Elder Poelman (vehicle coordinator). He told us about how he had been directed here by the Pinetown Elders (2 other Elders in our ward) who had hit his side mirror and damaged it. Elder Poelman was out of the office so while we were waiting for him we began to talk to this man. He seemed really curious about the church and so I got him a pamphlet and a DVD and explained a little bit about our role as missionaries. Then Elder Poelman got to the office and spoke with him and told him he would pay for the minor damage which occurred but then said: "Since I'm going to pay for your mirror you have to listen to a lesson from these Elders here (pointing to my companion and I) while I go and get the money." He then closed the door and we all looked at each other with stares. Haha.
As we began talking to him more he immediately asked us "Why are there so many churches today? I am so confused so that's why I don't go to church anymore." Whenever someone asks that question it always gets me excited because we have the answer! We ended up teaching the entire restoration and as we recited the words of Joesph Smith's first vision the spirit illuminated the room. The man had quite a few questions but he seemed to be quite satisfied with our answers. He told us at the end that he didn't have to come to our office to get this resolved but when he first met the missionaries he was curious. It's incredible what he spirit can do and how those who search for the truth are ultimately led to the truth. We are hoping to meet with him again in the future and we'll see what happens. It's always nice when investigators come directly to you!
Not more than 2 hours after teaching that lesson we started to go check on some former investigators we found in the area book. We were led to a house where the missionaries had been teaching a couple of individuals. As we were invited into the house by a little boy who answered the door we could hear in the back room that something was wrong. After sitting in the entry room for a few minutes a man came out and began to talk to us. It was apparent that he was used to the missionaries and he explained to us that their brother had passed away earlier that day. We began talking to him and he was very glad we came at the time we did. We shared with him from the Book of Mormon about the spirit world and my favorite scripture in Mosiah 16:7-8. It was not by coincidence that we had been led there that night as a tender mercy to that family in their time of need. The man that we were teaching was named Sindy and he told us that each time the missionaries came he was usually busy but he felt prompted that he needs to meet with us. We are going to his home later tonight so we hope to have a lesson with him and the whole family. There is nothing greater than testifying of the truths of the Plan of Salvation and the restored gospel.
On Friday I was on exchanges with the zone leaders in Umlazi. Umlazi was the first zone I was in when I served in Margate and it felt so long ago! They have a nice flat that overlooks the ocean. As I looked out over the ocean again it reminded me of when I was there on my first ever exchange as a greenie on my mission looking over the ocean and thinking that 2 years was the longest time ever. Haha. Time flies and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to be in Umlazi again. We spent a bit of the day tracting and facing a lot of rejection but we kept saying one more door...one more door... one more door and each time it seemed to get worse. We got in the car and decided to check on a less active only to find that the less active wasn't home but one of the ZL's decided to knock on one more door across from the less actives house. As we knocked on that door a mother let us into the house. She had seen missionaries before at uShaka marine world (like sea world) where she works. She was always curious as to what we do exactly so we were able to answer all of her questions. She was so shocked that we do this for 2 years and that led into why we do this. We taught the entire restoration and the spirit in that room was intense! By the end she asked "How can I really know what your telling me is true?" That led perfectly into the purpose of the Book of Mormon which we left her with and she committed to read for herself. I was glad that we knocked on that one more door because it made all the rejections before that worth it.
It's been a week filled with a lot of small miracles and blessings as we continue to go out and shared the restored gospel. I'm so grateful for the Lord's hand over this great work and we couldn't do it without His help. There is no greater joy in this life then being a tool in the Lord's hands to bring salvation to His children. It's not always easy but in the end it's worth it; I'm grateful for the challenges we face as missionaries as it helps us become more converted to the gospel.
Have a wonderful week and may the Lord bless you all.
Love,
Elder Summers
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