it's january 9th!

No, I have no reason why January 9th is so fantastic other than the

fact that it is just wonderful to be alive!! Seriously!! I am so

grateful that I am here in good ol, jolly England!! His week has been

a week of miracles!!

So as we were tracking this week, this one woman called through the

door, "Come in!!" We were totally shocked and surprised. She opened

the door and she was moving house! So we helped! Her friend, Lisa,

then came and started helping. It was the second time Lisa had come

over in 3 years to her friend, Lucy's! As we talked we found out that

Lisa was more interested in our message. She felt like she was just

existing and she has lost hope for a lot of different reasons. As we

met with her and shared more with her, she had the greatest desire to

be baptised!! She is dated for the 21st of December but Satan is

working hard! So we are praying hard for her. We also are praying hard

for our friend Bernard. His daughter, Mary Rose was just baptised and

he will be this weekend too! He has overcome many rials and set backs

and has learned to repent. It is amazing.

I love being able to learn. I love being able to watch other people

accept the full gospel of Jesus Christ and see their lives change! We

had a vision Meeting this week to set the vision for our mission and

we are striving to change our nature! We are so excited for this new

year! It will be a year of many miracles!

I know who I am. I know I am a daughter of God. Our story goes on.

This is just a part of our eternity. There is so much more. Gods plan

is eternal. He lives. He loves us. Jesus Christ is our Saviour. I say

this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love you loads!!

Xoxo

Sister Cummins

happy new year!

Well everyone!

I've got three minutes....so here is the low down.

It was Daddio's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!

Now it is 2017!! Yahoo! Now that I have declared the obvious I want to
tell you all something exciting!

I have been praying D praying and praying to know what my goals should
be for this coming year! I didn't know...until this morning when
Heavenly Father answered my prayer!!

I was praying and felt prompted to read this random talk I hadn't
looked at....ever. As I read I bought really? This is it? But then as
I read my heart was filled with so much joy because the last paragraph
was exactly what I needed! It said, "Lose all desire to do evil" and
that is my goal! I want to lose my desire for evil so that I can
become more like my Saviour and return to him and my Father in Heaven
someday! Maybe it's cheesy...I do not care though! It was inspired and
an answer to my prayers! He is there!

3 minutes is up!! There have been many miracles this week! I wish I
could share more!!

Xoxo
sister a Cummins

merry chirstmas!

Hello!!! Hello friends!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

So I will actually be emailing again on Saturday because next Mondays
pday will be moved to Saturday because Monday is exciting because it
is Boxing Day here!!

Boxing Day is as big as Christmas and Christmas Eve!!

Yahooooo!!

This week has been quite the day! It has been exciting and so much
fun! Manchester is incredible! Seriously. Incredible! I am not sure
how I should feel! This week Heavenly Father had a baptism!! Mary Rose
was baptised this week and so many amazing miracles have happened
since! This week has been one for the books! As we taught and met with
Mary Rose, her father Bernard came. Now Bernard had never sat in
before but as we just invited him and helped him to feel the spirit,
he came to the fact that he wanted to be baptised as well. He has been
loving the Book of Mormon. He was hesitant, now as he reads he finds
so many golden nuggets that touch his heart. He is making the Book of
Mormon the keystone of his faith. This family is forging strong faith
in the Lord and the power of his sacrifice because of the truths he
has learned from the Book of Mormon. I have only been here a week and
it is amazing.

This week we knocked on a door. The person, Sarah, opened, looked at
our name tags, and invited us in. We were both blown away because she
was praying at that time and then we knocked. We shared about the Book
of Mormon and she just loved it. After this we found a woman named
Saundra who was hesitant to let us in but as we came and sat down and
shared the light of Christ through His message she asked us if she
could be baptised. She asked if she could be baptised before we ever
even invited her. She could really feel the spirit so strong and
because of that she is thriving. Please keep them both in your
prayers.

This week I had MLC(Mission Leadership Council) and there was so many
great gems we learned. Right now I really feel a big urge and desire
to learn more humility. That is my goal this transfer! I want to be a
woman who serves our Father in Heaven faithfully and quietly. I want
to do things because I love God and I love hose around me. I desire to
be better!!

I am excited for Christmas!! I will be emailing this Christmas Eve
because it is our day off instead of next Monday. I am sorry for the
lack of presents, letters, and other things that would be nice to get
from me...like more in depth emails. I really have zero time. We only
have pday to do those this and those days are always so full. I am so
sorry. Please know that I love you. Please know you are important. You
each are children of God. While I am here I am learning how to be
better. How to help people, how to be loving , kind, and
compassionate. I am learning to be like Christ. I am trying to lose
myself in this work for him so please please please forgive me. I love
you all. Have a wonderful day!!

Signing off.

Sister Cummins

Xoxoxo

manchester

Alright, Alright. The title gives it away. I am emailing you live from Manchester as we speak! Is that great or what!?! I am so excited! I have spent 5 1/2 glorious months in Preston and will now spend who knows how long serving here in Manchester South(Wythenshawe area) and it is exciting!! There is a lot of good work going on here in Manchester.

As I reflect upon the things that I have learned whilst in Preston I really feel like I have learned who Heavenly Father is and how to rely upon him, how important prayer and scripture study is, and how a mixture of obedience and love can help us acheive anything. I love learning. I love growth.

The past 5 1/2 months in preston I saw that as I told Heavenly Father what I was planning on doing, asked for his direction, and then acted upon the guidance I received miracles happened. My life was transformed. I learned how to really love people. I learned how listening really is such an important part of life. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. That is the truth. As I have fed my spiritual self, I have really been given a strength of faith that has helped me to overcome challenges and see miracles occur. Heavenly Father wants us to have strength. He loves us. He wants us to know how important we are to him. We have divine worth and potential in his eyes. No matter what happens he has provided a way for us to overcome our weaknesses and be better. He loves us. More than we can know. Do you believe that? Do you really believe that? Take a minute, sit back, and think about who you are. Think about your strengths, weaknesses, family, skills, everything. Now think about how all of these things are blessings that God has given to you to help you to learn and grow. What a blessing that is! We have so many blessings all around us. Even our weaknesses are blessings. We are taught by a prophet or ancient times that, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them theirweakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." As we are obedient to Father's will for us we see miracles happen. He knows us better than we could ever know or understand ourself. He loves us. He has provided a plan for us which is centralised upon his son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the son of God. Jesus Christ really knows us because he has truly experiences our sorrows. 

I am so excited to be here in Manchester. I want to apologise if my past emails have been scattered, confused, or lame. I will repent!

I love each of you very much! You can do hard things!

My new companion here is named Sister Limb and is from Utah! How great is that!! My first Utah companion! Yipeeeeee!!!! 

Take care!!

XOXO

Sister Cummins

catch up!

Alrighty everybody! The other day, I was pondering and realised my
emails have been lame. I haven't told you half of my funny stories
here in Preston and I apologise for that!

Please forgive me!!

So here is a little catch up starting from this past week:
We got the worlds largest missionary Christmas tree from the best mum
to ever exist: Denise Cummins!! (Pictures to come)
As we were getting the Christmas lights she sent us for the tree, the
mail man tried posting them through the door and Sister Bellersen was
on the other side trying to pull it through helping him...I think it
was funnier when it happened but we were in such a funny mood that we
both peed our pants. I have a very poor blotter because within the
past 4 weeks I have peed my pants like 3 times. Hat probably isn't the
most dignified story to share but Sister Bellersen and I just have too
much fun together. In fact the other week we were at the library
waiting for one of our friends to come and I really don't even
remember what happened but she just had to go say something funny and
I had to spend the rest of our night running around with...well....you
get the picture. It was exciting! We even went to visit the stake
president and his family later that night! That was fun.

I actually don't remember the order of these things but one man almost
whacked me over the head with a cane. It was late, they hadn't opened
the door, we left, they then opened, we ran back, and BOP! Almost
dead! Just kidding mum, I was fine! Don't worry! He was a really nice
man though!

Last week when we went to get grocery we found a bag that older people
in this country use to get grocery, with wheels, with us to Aldi.
Along the way home, both of our wheels broke. That may sound sad but
it was actually so so so funny! Everyone along the way was laughing
pretty hard at us as we hobbled on to each bus and ran down the hill
home!

All of the bus drivers in this area have become our best friends. They
stop for us along the side of the road if we are lost. They always
wave at us and are a smiling face along the way! It is the BEST!

Also, we have two German friends that we are teaching! I have never
met a person who speaks German before in my mission and now that we
have Sister Bellersen we are finding all of the German speakers!! It
is pretty wonderful!

I love this place. I love all the experiences we get to have as
missionaries. We put up with and handle some pretty crazy, gross, or
weird things but I love it! I love that we learn every day and that I
get to consecrate my time to my Saviour! I know he lives! I know he
loves us dearly and hears our prayers!!

PRAY! Do it!

Have a great week and fear no man! Be bold and go crazy!(in a good
way!) Do something you feel inspired to do!!

Love you all!!

XOXO
SISTER Cummins

happy thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving my American friends!

I forgot it was until I read my families emails wishing me one too! Unfortunately the British don't celebrate their thanks by shoving mass amounts of food down their bodies....I am pretty sad about it. I do love some mashed potatoes. It will be a Thanksgiving party for one(Sister Bellersen wants no part of it!) Ha! 

This week has been CRAZY! It feels like I was just emailing you yesterday! This week we had a big zone meeting(where missionaries all over areas surrounding Preston gather together to be edified and learn! I got to give a training(lesson) on dignity! HA! I think it was more for me than for them because that is a weakness of mine, as I am sure you all know.(: It was SO good and I could really feel the Heavenly Father using me to teach His children. I could feel so strongly how inspired it was for each of us in our zone to hear the different subjects that we talked about! We learned about repentance as well as putting our selfish desires aside and helping others. It was incredible. I really find that as I lose myself in God's work,He changes me. I LOVE IT! I feel so blessed to be a representative of Jesus Christ at this time here in the Preston Area! We have been called by Him to declare His teachings to everyone we can! What a sacred opportunity! Sometimes it can be disheartening but we don't have to let it! It is like life. Sometimes our lives can feel so disheartening and upsetting but really we do not have to fear or feel overwhelmed because we are children of GOD! That is SO powerful!! 

IN Luke 6: 21-23 Christ tells His disciples, "Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

 22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets."

We should LEAP for JOY when others bring us down(as long as we are doing what is right) because God is so much stronger than any man! We have no need to fear!

This week I got to go to Lancaster to work with Sister Roeun and then to South Ribble to work with Sister Barlow(in fact I am with her RIGHT NOW!) We have found so many people who are interested in hearing more about the gospel. BECAUSE IT IS TRUE!!! These two have taught me that sacrifice is the only way to have true,lasting joy. Being able to go on exchanges and help the sisters in this zone is SUCH a privilege! It is teaching me to trust in the words that God brings to my mouth and to make love my first goal and focus. As we love, we can guide anyone. We can strengthen anyone. But we must love them! SO MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS: Love those whom surround you. Pray for it. Exercise it. Do it. 

I am sorry I haven't sent pictures lately. I have a hard time getting everything done in just two hours! Please forgive me and I will repent soon! Hopefully next week? There is not much to see anyways...its pretty rainy and WONDERFUL here but I just don't think I could truly capture it's beauty(;. Its green here for a reason!

XOXO

Sister Cummins

PS: Eat some potatoes for me!

just pray

Alright people! It is a rainy November day here in good old Preston England! I just walked into a Jewlers shop that has been existing since 1580. That is pretty impressive if you ask me! There is so much history in this country! It is so rich here! I love it so much! England is just WONDERFUL! A fun piece of history I found out is that during the times when the first missionaries came to England one of the very first places they came was Liverpool. This was one of the only places at that time that had an "open mind" to different perspectives because it was a working class area and this is where the church really started in England. It really shows me that Heavenly Father really prepares the hearts and minds of the people in order for them to learn about how to come back to him! It is amazing the miracles that we get to see! 

This week I learned that life really is all about our perspective! It is about being willing to learn from our trials instead of having them break us. There is always hope. No matter how down we may feel, there is always more. This hope comes because heavenly Father has a plan for us. Every day I am surrounded by people who don't believe that god is real and who lack hope. I realised that it doesn't matter if you believe God is or isn't there because he is. Just like someone couldn't get rid of me because of their lack of belief in me, God will always be there. He is a constant. He is probably one of our only constants in this life and He will not just disappear because some refuse to believe in him. He is real. He does live and He does have a plan for us! I know it. I feel it so strongly. I can feel it through my prayers. I have been praying in a new light and manner this week. I have been really striving to align my will with God's and by doing so we have seen miracles. For so long we have had the attitude that no one hear truly wants to change or learn more about the teachings of Christ. This week i changed my attitude and prayed to see those people who were ready and so many times this week we met people who had been "looking for a religion" or who were "searching for more truth". Some of them "wanted a change" and now I get to share with them the teachings that bring my heart so much joy! My joy comes from my Heavenly Father. I know He is there. Sometimes we just have to change our perspectives in order to see truth. Instead of letting life get dim we can be a light in others lives. I urge you to change your perspective and try learning and trying new things! It will make you SO happy! I swear! You will have increased understanding and knowledge and you will be able to stand firm in truth with a clear conscious and peace in your heart. I know it because I feel it. 

I am typing and typing and typing but I just have so many thoughts. Sister Bellersen pointed that out this week. She said, "Sister Cummins! You take me from one thought to another and another and then another and then i look away for two seconds and you are running away from me trying to catch a bus. You have too many thoughts!" Ha! She also showed me the most delectable treat ever.....stollen and kaesekuchen...my life is forever changed by German food. She is feeling pretty chuffed because germany is the top country to live in right now. if it is anything like their sweets, I wouldn't be surprised!

This week we met an incredible woman named Becky(right after praying to find someone ready!) We stopped her and talked with her for a little bit. Most people in England keep walking so you have to start walking with them but she stopped and talked to us in the rain, with her child. We were baffled! After a little bit she then said we could come meet her at her home and when we went we could feel such a beautiful spirit as we were surrounded by her 3 little girls. We are excited to share the gospel with her and her family! They are a miracle! Please keep them in your prayers!!!

I got to go but I love you all!!!

YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL!! 

I have literally 60 seconds so I have to go!!

LOVE YOU!!

XOXO

Sister Cummins