sunshine and miracles

HELLO! HELLO! There is sunshine in my soul and everywhere today!...Okay it is actually raining today but BOY has it been summery this week! I am roasting away here in good old England! Boy do I love this country! But don't you worry I will always be loyal to America! "Cause Im proud to be an American! Where at least I know I'm free!"...that is literally the only line I know from that song...sorry bout it...but you get the point! :D

First of all I just want to start off by saying I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! What a privilege it is! LIKE SERIOUSLY!! TThis week I learned an important lesson...and you will all probably laugh at me for my lameness but here it is. Are you ready for it? Are you sure?!

 "You don't have to be perfect in everything" 

SAY WHAAAAAAT!? It is so simple yet so true! We don't have to be! Nor are we expected to be perfect in everything. Instead I'm being perfect in NOTHING! And I've just YOLOed my whole mission.....just kidding...I don't think I could ever bring myself to do that....Don't worry I'm not going out doing whatever I want now but since I realised this guess what... I am less stressed!!! I had been stressing out about doing this and that perfectly when in reality I just need to perfectly try. That is literally all that is asked of us and then the Lord will make up the difference! Everyday I still need to give my best effort, but that is it! How beautiful is that!? I am so grateful for that! It is SUCH a relief! HA! I am grateful for the time that I have spent thinking I had to be perfect though because it has made me increase in my patience. Patience is handling delay or unexpected circumstances without getting frustrated or angry and I really have learnt how to be more patient with myself but also with those around me! Many prophets in the Book of Mormon and Bible talk all about patience and how we can acquire it and why it is necessary and it is just SO good! These scriptures are so full of knowledge and wisdom and strength that can really speak to our souls! I have been especially loving the Book of Mormon! I am just really devouring it's pages..literally...we ran out of food this week...JUST KIDDING MOM, I had TOO much food this week and I'm not actually eating the Book of Mormon...this joke isn't as funny as I planned....oh well. As I have been reading and applying these ancient prophets words and recognising how they apply to my life at this time I have receieved so much strength and comfort! Something I really loved reading this past week was in 2 Nephi 9 verse 43(page 76) when Jacob talks about how happiness is prepared for the saints. When I read this I thought, "well then why are so many people so sad if happiness is prepared for them?" but then it hit me that it is prepared for the saints and the saints are not just the baptised but those who are striving to keep the commandments and do the basics of the Christ's gospel. That is what makes a saint! "A saint is a sinner who keeps on trying" -Dale G. Renlund! That is why obedience and reading the scriptures, coming to church, and praying bring us so much happiness because we are becoming saints and the Lord PROMISES that happiness is prepared for them! How great is that!? We don't have to be sad or in despair! The only way to overcome our sadness is through CHOOSING joy(through our actions!)

So this week we met a lot of really amazing people! I talked to this woman, June, who is already been to church like 50 years ago when she was 7, she knows Joseph Smith is a prophet, she believes Jesus Christ restored His church via Joseph Smith but when I asked her to be baptised she said that she feels she is, "too old to change"! That is her only hang up...that I know of at this point! So we shared a Book of Mormon, set up an appointment, and I assume we will see her being baptised soon! THEN we met an amazing couple named Charlene and David!! They have two little girls, Holly and Lily! Sister Barlow commented on their lovely wellies(rain boots) and then BOOM we were talking away! David said, "I can see something different in you, you seem so genuinely happy" and "I really believe the things you are saying! I can see how happy they make you"! And then a few minutes later we finished teaching about how Jesus Christ restored His church to the earth today through a prophet and how this makes us feel so loved and happy! Then we shared a Book of Mormon and they said that if they knew this was true "how could they not be baptised!?" -Their words, not mine! HOW CRAZY!?!? THEN yesterday we were headed to a tea appointment and I said hello to this woman on the bus with two little girls who were just so cute and she immediately recognised me as a servant of the Lord! It seriously blew me away!! She said that she had been praying and praying for her calling and some guidance, she told us her entire life story, and then she said, "I am a really nervous person and I am unsure if I should do this but here is my address" and then asked us to come visit her! We see her tonight and she took a Book of Mormon and is so excited to meet with us! She just felt different when she met us! BOOM! MIND BLOWN! I don't know why the Lord trusts us so much but I am SO very grateful for such amazing opportunities to meet such amazing people!!

The biggest news of this week is that Sister Paul(an investigator of 6 months) accepted baptism! SHE ACCEPTED BAPTISM! Last night when we taught her how to pray she said, "You mean that we can literally speak with God? How do you know when you get your answer?" and when we told her that it comes through listening to her thoughts and paying attention to her feelings she was absolutely determined to find out for herself! She is amazing and watching her eyes was even more amazing because I could see the concepts click in her brain! It was just magnificent!

This week at a tea appointment I found out one of the members here in Preston remembers my mom from when she first joined the church! I said that her last name was Higginbottom and he said, "Your mom is Denise!?" IT WAS CRAZY! The feeling was kind of eerie but of just such excitement!! IT WAS AMAZING! I LOVE IT HERE! I love serving where Gordon B. Hinckley and many other amazing prohpets and apostles of the Lord served but I especially love serving where my mom is from, it is SO special!

I love you all DEARLY! Thank you for loving me and reading my emails! I am so grateful for just the many amazing experiences I get to have here and I am so grateful for your love, strength, prayers, and diligence!! There is sunshine in my soul today, tomorrow and forever because "Heaven is cheering us all on today, tomorrow and forever" and that is magic!

Have a lovely week!

LOVE YOU!!

Go see some miracles or something!!

XOXO

Sister Cummins