belated easter baby

HAPPY BELATED EASTER EVERYBODY!!

I hope you all had a wonderful week but more importantly a Happy
Easter full of family and joy for the fact that our Savior lives!!
What joy that sentence brings to my heart! Jesus Christ LIVES! He
broke the bands of death so that we can too! So that we can live with
our families forever! I am forever grateful to be alive and to know of
this truth! Attached will be a copy of this story called The Bridge.
It exemplifies God's love for us so perfectly. Please give it a read
and contemplate how our loving Heavenly Father felt and then think of
what you can personally do to thank Him and Jesus Christ for both of
their sacrifices!

So this week emailing will be kinda weird because I typically get two
hours but today I am splitting it up...so we are taking one hour now
and then we will take one hour later tonight so if I don't reply to
all of you wonderful people, don't flip because I'm comin for you!!

So this week we came back to our flat because we had forgotten...okay
I had forgotten...the pamphlets we were giving out to invite people to
our Easter Activity. So we try to unlock the door but it is already
unlocked so in my head I'm like whatever, I probably forgot to lock
the door. So I push it open, Sister Reimert walks in under my
arm(she's short) and I look up to see a tall, bearded man staring back
at me. Naturally I scream and run out the door in the other direction,
leaving my companion inside, while she is calmly inside assessing the
situation..then I realized that it was the owner doing a flat
viewing(because they are selling it but not kicking us out) and we had
just forgotten that they were coming....I'm pretty sure I lost 40
years...and my scream scared the man too so I guess that it all worked
out in the end! MUAHAHA!

One other funny occurrence this week was when didn't know it was
daylight savings...and we woke up, took our sweet time to read in our
scriptures and then realised we were supposed to be ready for church
an hour before....so that was exciting! #cutestchurchoutfitofmylife

This week we got asked to visit an amazing woman named Ann Woodhall
and oh my goodness she is fantastic!! Her husband just recently died
so we went and taught her about the plan of salvation and how she will
see him again at the end of the lesson when we asked her to be
baptised her only concern was that she didn't like water on her face!
It was incredible! She just understood and took it all in like a
sponge...but not literally because she isn't baptised yet! We also
taught our friend, Amy! She is SO prepared! She has been looking into
the church for three years and she has just started reading and
praying! She told us that she thinks it is true but just doesn't know
it yet. She has total faith and she tries everything we ask her to!
She said that once she finds out for a fact that it is true that she
will be baptised! And I know that God will answer he prayers and all
of yours as well!!

Well that's all for the week everybody! I hope you enjoyed this email.
HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK! Keep being amazing and striving to be your best!
Keep helping your family and friends and being loving, wonderful
people! You are all amazing! Believe it!
"Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking less about
yourself!" Know your talents and use them for good! ROCK ON!

Sayings:
They put proper in front of everything. "That's proper nice!" Or "You
proper sausage!"
"You cheeky monkey!!" (When someone asks for something of you, you
call them a cheeky monkey. I've got this one down) whenever I ask a
member if they want to give us a ride or come teach with us I say, "Do
you feel like God is calling you to (insert place)" or "Are you bones
just tingling to come out with us today" and the I give them a silly
smile and BOOM SHACKALACKA we are on our way!!

Love,
Sister Heather Shea Cummins

PS: I secretly love butter on my sandwiches now....don't judge
me...okay judge me...but try it! You would be surprised!👍🏻😊

OVER AND OUT!

coming at ya!

What up! What up! What up!

Hello people of the American continent!!

So I'm going to have to keep this short and sweet because I am real low on time and not too much happened this week!

This week we traveled a TON! I went to Manchester which was seriously incredible! We went to this meeting called Tim Out for Sisters and we did some hot yoga...which wasn't all too hot because I flopped around like a wet fish...just kidding I was a dry fish...but a fish nonetheless! 

This week Sister Reimert got really super sick so we spent quite a bit of time in the flat. I could've napped too but instead I...ORGANIZED! And I adored it! Our flat is gorgeous now! OH and we got a couch, a new table, some bookshelves, working knives, and another cutting board....and it is AMAZING!!! Our flat was wonderful before but it is wonderfully fantastic now!! We look like executives with each of us having our own table! Oh and I got to make decorations for the walls! The quote I put on the wall is, "Dare to be a Mormon. Dare to stand alone. Dare to have a purpose strong. Dare to make it known." I love that quote! It inspires me and makes me want to be bold as a lion and gentle as a lamb! I love this calling! If that isn't clear yet...I'd like to clear it up! Being a missionary is the most fulfilling adventure I have ever embarked on!! It bends me and stretches me and makes me better!! What more could I ask for! AND

 I have seen people make amazing changes and strive to become the best they can! I am becoming someone I know Heavenly Father needs me to be and I just adore it! Change is the best! It is enthralling and exhilarating! I pray that I will continue to change every single day for the rest of my life...I'm sure I've said that before and I will say that forever! 

I love each of you and I am so grateful to be alive! Thank you for all of your support and kind words! Thank you for strengthening me and for all you do to strengthen and love those around you!! This week I would like to invite you to have faith in something that you normally would doubt and to act on it because faith without works is dead! In the words of Nike, JUST DO IT!!

I hope each of you have an amazing week and strive to become better each and every day! Don't fear for God truly is near! That may be cheesy be it's even more true!!

Keep working hard people!!!

Loads of everlasting love,

Sister Heather Shea Cummins

England Manchester Mission

Spring Wood Suite G5

Booths Park

Knutsford

hey, come back here!

My oh my this week has been one for the books!

This week, Sister Reimert and I really went crazy and spoke to just

about everyone that we could! The other day we prayed that the next

person we saw on the street would be prepared for a baptismal invite.

So, when we saw that next person we ran after them....literally! We

tried to get his attention by calling for him, but he had head phones

in...so we ran after him and just about gave him a heart attack! His

name is Dan and we got to teach Dan about Heavenly Father's great love

for him! As we progressed and related Christ's teachings to him

personally he was interested in finding out more! Then we stopped a

man on a bike, named Colin, and he had spoken to missionaries before

but had lost contact, SO we will meet with him on Wednesday and

rekindle that flame!! Oh and then last night as we were walking home

we met one man named Liam who is atheist, in reality he has so much

faith he just doesn't see it, but he took a copy of the Book of Mormon

and he committed to read the introduction and meet with us on Friday!

After saying aurevoir to Liam we literally walked ten steps and met

two other men, Damian and Grant, one of which accepted a baptismal

invite and we will be meeting with them both very soon! Miracles are

happening, people! I don't know why Heavenly Father is trusting me

with so many amazing and prepared people...but I am SO grateful for

it!! It's outstanding!

 I have been on the search for small acts of service I could do for

Sister Reimert that she may not notice and so I decided that while she

was in the shower I would wash her shoes. As I have taken the time to

put that first in my morning and try to serve her as well as implement

praying for her I have seen my love increase immensely! Our

companionship is better than ever! We are both trying to be more

gentle, soft, and loving and she is amazing at it! When Sister Reimert

sets her mind to something she gets it done! She truly is one of the

most dedicated people I have ever met and I am so grateful for the

influence and strength that she radiates!

The weather here in good old Wrekin is GORGEOUS! It is warm and sunny

and JOYOUS! Oh happy day!! It is so green here and we are loving every

single moment of it! The best part is it's a no jacket or tight zone

for me!! I'm free flowing and I LOVE soaking in the warmth!!

Unfortunately I have no restroom stories this week...other than we

have been sharing these stories with all of our members at tea

appointments and they have all cringed at the thought of me after I

have had children....but hey, we are ward bonding!

I truly love missionary work!! It is the greatest adventure I have

ever gotten to embark on and I love that as I trust in Heavenly Father

and act on the promptings that He blesses me with I see drastic

changes in who I am! I relish in changing!! Which is so odd because at

the beginning I was super prideful and didn't want to change at

all...and now I pray for it! Who would've thought!!

This week I'd like to invite each of you to pray to find out in what

way you most struggle with pride and...work on it! BOOM, simple! It

may be something as simple as saying, "I love you" more, not thinking

a negative thought, trying to be less sarcastic, reaching

out/complementing someone, or doing a small act of kindness for

someone you typically wouldn't. I PROMISE that as you do this, as you

pray for what God wants you to work on that He will make it known unto

you! I also promise that as you do so and try your best that you will

experience an insurmountable amount of joy! You will have a clearer

mind and feel greater purpose!

I know that we can do all things through Christ! If you get the

chance, read Moroni 7! It's the best!

Moroni 7:33: And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye

shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.

I know that faith is an action word! As we act on our faith and work

on our pride Christ will help us along the way!

I love each of you phenomenal people with all my heart! Thank you for

all the love and support you show me! I hope you each of you have a

fantastic week!!

LOADS of love from yo SISTA across the pond,

Sister Heather Shea Cummins

PS: the first sister missionaries ever were sent to my mission! This

place is chalk full of history! It's incredible!

the red flusher

Hello world!

It is that time of the week again and I have arrived!!!!!

Oh man oh man oh man!! In the words of one of the elders here in my area, "this week was TOPS" 

I am so grateful for this wonderful mission!!! As I have remembered who I have trusted and made a conscious effort to fear no man, I have been able to see miracles happen! This week Sister Reimert and I were tracting and this man opened the door. He was quite cynical and said, "why do you people keep knocking and bothering me!?" Sister Reimert told him we hope that he would have a wonderful day and he scoffed at us so before he shut he door I asked him what was on his mind. He replied by saying, "You don't care about me at all" and slammed the door closed. As we moved on to the next house I had a strong feeling that we needed to go back and knock again. A little frightened, we made our way back to his house and knocked again. He opened his window and he opened angrily after which I replied by telling him that we just wanted him to know that we really did care about him and we do hope he has a wonderful day. After that he came out and gave us this poetry book and his whole entire demeanour changed and we had a great conversation with him and he really opened up!

Funny story of the week:

So we called by(stopped by) a woman from our church who lives in a nursing home because I really needed to use the restroom and we all know how that goes if I hold it too long.... So we go here and she's not home. In the lobby though, there is a restroom we can use so we run in there and I look in this stall and see this long red string! I am beyond excited to pull the string so I run in here, do what's necessary and with a huge grin on my face pull it! To my dismay, no flushing occurred...instead the alarm starts sounding off super loud because apparently it's for people who have hurt themselves or fallen down....then a lady jumps on the intercom and asks me if I'm okay as I try to tell them hat I thought it would make it flush. One big scene later, we leave the nursing home hopefully to not return for a very long time...

Other than that, we hiked this hill today! The Wrekin!! Pics to come! And then the sun was out and gorgeous and oh my lanta I could see Wales!! It was incredible!! 

I love you all so dearly! 

I suppose if you get nothing else from this email, just laugh at yourself and don't take life too seriously oh and just let people know that you love them!!! You are all strong, amazing individuals! Let your light so shine before men!!!

Love,

Sister Heather Shea Cummins

PS: so it takes about two weeks to get mail here in England, SO if you would please just send letters and packages to the mission office for the rest of until I get off my mission, that'd be fantastic because there is such a good chance that I will end up getting a letter and I will have left that area, so it's just safer.

Sister Cummins

England Manchester Mission

Spring Wood Suite G5

Booths Park

Knutsford

WA16 8GS

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!

hiya

"Hiya! You alright?!"

This is what I hear every single day, multiple times a day! This is
how British people say hello! And when you reply with how you are they
know you're American because they actually aren't asking if you're
alright they just say it as hi! But then they get caught off guard and
when I say "I'm great how are you?", then they have to talk to me!
MUAHAHAHAHA!! It's brilliant and I love it!!

This week has been too magnificent!! Oh my goodness! So we got
transfer calls last night and I am staying in WREKIN! Wahoo! Wrecking
it in Wrekin for another go!! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!! It's so
wonderful I can hardly stand it!!! Okay so this week has been chalk
full of miracles!!

First, Sister Reimert and I are closer than ever...and I thought we
were already so close! So we are cookin with fire now!!

Second, we have seen SO many miracles it is simply madness!!!
Yesterday we were calling by less actives and every person we saw on
the street either stopped us or when we stopped them were super
interested and the Lord got three new investigators!! How incredible
is that?!? And it has just been lots of small miracles all week long
that have been blowing us away!! We aren't sure why the Lord is
blessing us with so many incredible experiences but I'm not going to
question a good thing! I can really see His hand in our lives!!

Thirdly, an investigator who has been investigating the church for
about three years and who is basically a dry Mormon read what we asked
her to for the first time this week! She has never read before and we
are seeing her change drastically! It's amazing how just taking that
small leap of faith can totally just change a person! That seed is
planted and I am just so excited to watch her continue to progress!!!!

This week has been simply amazing! Some man told his friend Sister
Reimert was his girlfriend and then he tried to put his arm around her
but she moved...and he was a little tipsy...so that was exciting! Oh
and we went into Manchester this week and got spiritually uplifted by
President Ulrich! I'm telling you, that man is SO inspired and he is
just so happy and positive! I just love him and Sister Ulrich! Also,
Sister Reimert and I have a jungle gym that we started exercising with
so that is pretty wonderful! #ivegainedsomuchweight #workitoff
#canttouchthis

 I just love being a missionary. It is the most incredible experience!
My testimony grows every single day! I know that happiness is a choice
and I as I actively choose to be every single day I just feel
unstoppable and beyond excited about life! As I feel myself verging on
frustration I can feel the Lord reminding me about the promise I made
to Him and myself to push forward with a continual smile! It's really
not hard, we just have to make the decision to not get angry! As I
have prayed to be able to recognise(oh yeah they don't use z's
here...like for anything) the Spirit and follow what He is telling me
I can feel the Spirit more abundantly and I know that I am a
mouthpiece for the Savior to these people. I love the joy that I feel
doing this work and I have really seen that as I have strived to fear
no man and be focused on what God needs me to do, I am becoming the
person that God needs and wants me to be...and I love it!!!!

Have faith. Be patient. Trust that God will make miracles happen, if
you allow Him to. Fear no one!

I challenge each of you to get up and share what you know with a
friend and for those of you who haven't heard or looked into the
church I challenge you to ask the missionaries in town to stop by or
to drop into church!

I promise that as we take those leaps of faith that Heavenly Father
will bless you abundantly!! ABUNDANTLY I TELL YOU! Let him work
miracles in your life! He literally is our father and he loves us
dearly!!

Rock on my friends! Keep workin hard and building faith!!!

I love you all so much!!

Love,
Sister Heather Shea Cummins

Photos:
1. Emailing with half the district
2. Taking my first awkward iPad selfies while every laughs at me
3. Me and my mission mum!

The past week

Sorry you didn't get my email from last week...it says I sent it to all you wonderful people but apparently not.....I don't know what happened there but I really think you should read it...or at least the last part of it....lets just say there is a hilarious story you don't want to miss!(:

SO this week has been down right wonderful!

I went on my first exchange(when you switch companions with another companionship) and I was with the Sister Training Leader, Sister Conlogue! She is seriously amazing and I learned so much from her! It was really nice to see how other people do things like talking to people....I know that sounds weird but we get set in our ways and its nice to see how others casually work the Book of Mormon into conversation! She is very spiritual and aware of others and she really inspired me to be better at that!

Not a lot other than that happened this week...other than the fact that this one man told that he, "doesn't do Jesus on the streets" after which I replied with, "how about in your home!?!" and that was still a solid no.....so that was sad.

Oh! This week we decided to follow a prompting Sister Reimert has had for the past few months...to tract down St. Aubin Dr in Dawley Bank. So we did it and guess what! We found this amazing man! His name is James and he is SO prepared! He has a boss from Utah that has really opened his eyes to how wonderful Christ is so when we knocked he was like, "yeah Ive actually really been wanting to learn more" and then when we went to teach him I took the role of  playing with his two sweet sons, Louis and Luca, so that James could actually listen to Sister Reimert who taught him about how Christ has restored his teachings to the earth today! He asked brilliant questions and he is going to come to church this week and he asked us for a return appointment! We are so excited to teach him!

As we go about preaching the gospel and the love that God has for each of His children, I can feel that love that He has for each of us. He is so aware of us! We have been sent to this earth so that we can learn and grow but He wants us to find our way back home!

I just want to end this email with my firm conviction that I know that Heavenly Father is our literal father. He loves us so dearly. As I study the scriptures and pray I can feel my mind being enlightened and I can feel myself strengthened! I would encourage each of you, whether you believe or not to read the Book of Mormon! Just give it a try. Honestly, what could you lose by reading it? I promise that if you read the introduction to it and you pray with the desire to know whether it truly is God's word that you will come to the knowledge that it is true. That Joseph Smith was a true prophet of the Lord and that Heavenly Father has a plan for each and every single one of us. I know it! I love being a missionary and I love the people here in Telford, England! (Still cant believe Im in England)!

I love you all so much and am grateful for each of your examples to me!

Alma 32: 21-22

21 And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

 22 And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.

So be like the kid from the Polar Express and just believe!!!

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Cummins!

(who says you can't do a headstand in a skirt?)

Miracles and Accidents

Hello! Hello! Hello! It is that time of the week again and I am hear and ready to fill you full of weird stories! And trust, this week was full of em!

First of all Sister Reimert meows SO good...sooo good that when we are walking she gets cats to follow us for blocks on blocks on blocks! Im telling you...CAT WHISPERER!

Anywho! I had my first Zone Meeting this week, which is where about 30 missionaries from close by areas get together and uplift each other! It was so fantastic and I just really learned that I need to completely focus on this time and give myself fully to Christ because I am only here for 17 more months! Theres not enough time! Its so wonderful yet sad yet FANTASTIC! I love it!

So when I say miracles I mean miracles!

This one 13 year old, Patrick, whos father is an atheist and he is following in his footsteps sat down and asked us all these questions he thought would stump us. Typically we wouldn't engage with people who don't want to listen and are just trying to prove us wrong but as we listened and answered questions he thought were "unanswerable" he listened and was calm and basically in the end I tried to pinky promise him that if he would hear our lessons we would answer the rest of his questions...but he doesn't do pinky promises so I had to punch promise him...so yes I punched a 13 year old...but its okay because the mom, who is a member, was okay with it! Bahahah! Then he came to church on Sunday! BOOM! Miracle!

Secondly, DANNII IS BAPTIZED! I am so excited and grateful for her! I got to play a piece on the violin for it! It was such a privilege to contribute in that way! We had a really incredible experience with her last night! We were getting ready for bed and I was reflecting on my day, writing in my journal and I just felt like I should text her. At first it felt like it was too late but I just really felt like we should so as we started texting her it didn't feel like enough. So we called her! And she really needed it! She was feeling so low and kind of worried that she had made a bad decision but as we chatted with her and read a few scriptures with her(Alma 26:12, 27) She just felt so much better and that was such a miracle!! I have been struggling to know whether I am following the Holy Ghost or my own thoughts and I know that that decision/idea was not me!

Sister Reimert used the gift of tongues last night as we struggled to understand this sweet Portuguese woman, Maria. She was able to understand her and now we will go back on Thursday to help her learn English better! What a privilege it is to be a missionary! To be able to help people understand Christ's love for them as I try to more fully comprehend it myself! I am so grateful for the principles that I am learning and for the joy and sorrow that I get to experience! I have learned that as I focus on the Lord's work and stop trying to prepare for my future, Heavenly Father will bless me more greatly and plan that future for me, and I'm sure He is thousands times better at it than I!  Sister Reimert is loving, forgiving, and such a fantastic woman! I love her! She teaches me every single day through her obedient example!

On the other hand..if you noticed my caption is Miracles AND accidents....

Soo yesterday. We were tracting (knockin on doors telling people about the good word!) and this man opens the door and says, "Im Catholic and the Book of Mormon is made up!!!" and he was SO mad...it made me laugh SO hard...luckily not in front of him but seriously it was too hilarious. So we go to the next door and it has a sign that says, "No traders allowed" and I look at Sister Reimert and say, "Well its a good thing Im not Judah"...buh dum Chhhhhhh! bahahahah! I was so amused with myself that I peed my pants on this persons door step. Like a full on peeing of my pants. It was hilarious! Luckily I have no shame and Im not easily embarrassed otherwise that  would've been a catastrophe. Sister Reimert didn't believe me until she saw a drop land on my foot and then she allowed us to go home. It was quite exciting...and cold. Im pretty sure my tights froze...ANYWAYS!

I love you all and hope you have the happiest of weeks! Strive to be better than you were yesterday and work hard!

Dare to be a Mormon! Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!

Love,

Sister Cummins

Words:

Garden=backyard

toilet=the toilet but its just so abrupt..it blows my mind. I said I need the restroom and they're like no you need the toilet...its like yes, but ew.