Birthday Week: May 19, 2014

Dear Everyone,

1. When is the next transfer? Is this the 5-week transfer? Yes this is a five week transfer. The next transfer day is June 1.
2. Did your zone have any changes because of the new American missionaries who came out of the CTM? My zone had one change because of the "mini transfers" there were 20 missionaries in the mission who were transferred!!! But the only change was that one elder left and Elder I. (my “son” who I trained) came to the zone now!!! (We had interviews with President G. on the 16th and I told him that if it were at all possible and in harmony with the Lord´s will of course, that I would like to have the opportunity to train an American missionary in my last transfer. so we will have to just wait and see what will happen in this next transfer!
3. What did you do to celebrate your actual birthday? I hope you got lots of birthday wishes. To celebrate my actual birthday my companion and housemates bought pizza for me at night!! But it was a regular day of work during the day, the member that made us lunch that day put a candle in the Jell-o dessert, so that was cool!! Also, I got to perform a baptismal interview on my birthday and the young man of 21 years was baptized on that same day, so that was cool (he is studying software engineering!)

The cake (mix), frosting (in a can), noisemakers, napkins, and plates were part of Elder Cummings' birthday package!

 Birthday candle in the Jell-O.

This week had 4 more baptisms in the zone, Elder I. baptized one, we also confirmed A. who we baptized 2 weeks ago!!

Can you send photos of the new roof and your new laptop please!!?? :-)

Jason: what lead you to decide to study criminal justice? Was there a job fair or something?

This week was really cool, we had an OK ward activity this Saturday, it was a joint activity with the other ward and in total there were 20 people who came... and we will be doing another activity on Friday so I will let you guys know how that one goes!!

Also, we found this really great family that we had marked with the daughter to pass by there Sunday afternoon to teach the whole family and when we got there they had cake waiting for us (food is always a good sign of the possibility for baptism!!) and the whole family of mother, father and 2 kids (the son is 21 and the daughter is 17) were all really receptive and are excited to learn more and to go to church on Sunday!! The dad was telling the mom this past week that they needed to find a church to attend because they have stopped going to any church pretty much!! So, that was cool. Pray for this family please!!

On a side note, a member who lived in England for 10 years made imitation Kentucky Fried Chicken for us on Sunday for lunch!!! It was pretty darn good!!

And I think that is about it for this week!!!

love you guys a lot!

Elder Cummings

Post-Skype Letter: May 12, 2014

Dear Everyone,

There is a corn field close to our house and they harvested the corn this week, so that night we went to pick up the corn that was left over and we got a lot of corn, but upon our return to our house we found out that all the corn was bad, it was the type of corn they use for animal feed, so it was already dry and hard and not suitable for eating. L 

That’s about all that I have to say after our Skype date yesterday. I kind of said everything already. 

See you guys later! J

Lots of love,

Elder Cummings

P.S. My opinion as to whether to get me a car in Washington or in Utah, is the sooner the better!!! J

We did have a wonderful Skype with Elder Cummings on Mother’s Day, our last Skype until he comes home. Because it is his birthday later this week (May 15), he had a little birthday gathering with some other missionaries at the home of the members where they were able to Skype. I love that the members take care of the missionaries in Brazil just like we try to do for our missionaries here! Happy 21st Birthday, Elder Cummings!!

Senior Companion: May 27, 2013

Dear Everyone:

1. Tell us about the activity where you served the popcorn. The picture was from the ward activity we put on this past Thursday called SHOW MORMON!!! It was really fun, it was like Jeopardy, with different categories of questions that people had to answer.
2. Are transfers this week? Yes, transfers are this week. I will stay here and Elder M. will go to Londrina. I will get a missionary named Elder F. from Rio who just finished being trained, so I will be the senior companion!! Whoo-hoo!! Elder F. (my old comp, who was living in the same apt. with me and Elder M.) is also going to Londrina, but Elder W. (my trainer) is staying. We did not have interviews with the President this week, maybe this coming week.

Me and Elder W. serving popcorn and juice at our SHOW MORMON! Ward activity.

New basketball shorts and goodies from the B. family! Gotta love mail day.

I got the package with the basketball shorts, and the package from the B. family!! Happy birthday to me all over again. I’ll try and send a thank you letter to them this week, but it may have to wait for next week since this is transfer week. But it was such a fun package to get! And, thanks for the BYU Men’s Chorus music that you sent on the USB with the basketball shorts. It’s really good! I am building up quite a missionary-approved music library that I will pass on to Jason when I get back!!

Wow lots of news this week!!! Crazy stuff!! I’m sorry to hear about the bridge and the tornado and the Boy Scouts decision.

Sorry, there’s not a lot new to talk about right now this week other than I got to teach the Gospel Principles Sunday School class this week for the first time ever, so that was cool!!

Recognize the tie?? Be sure to tag Mr. D. in this picture when you post it on Facebook.

I’ll try to document everything that happens on my first week as a senior to share with you guys in next week’s letter. Pray for me that I can lead well and follow the Spirit to help this ward and area grow and have a baptism here in 2 weeks!!!

com amor,

Elder Cummings

P.S. Are you guys planning on picking me up at the end of my mission?? Because as of right now, I don’t know about that. I will probably be more than ready to come right back home and get ready for school/swimming, but if you guys really, really want to we can (it is going to be expencive de mais). We can talk about this more another day, we still have lots of time!! Love you guys a lot!!

The Refiner's Fire: May 20, 2013

Hey, gang!!

1. How is the elder with the heart condition doing? The elder got released as a missionary and is living in São Paulo with his aunt while he is waiting for another heart (he right now has an heart of an 80 year old...) but he should be fine. He is way at the top on the waiting list for young heart because he is young.
2. How are your two investigator sisters and G.A.’s uncle doing? We haven’t gotten to talk with the girls at all and G.A.’s uncle smokes and promised his 7 year old daughter a long time ago that he would be baptized when she is, so only in April of 2014... but we have a lot of other investigators finally, the only problem now will be accompanying (?) them all!! 
3. How was your actual birthday? Also, did you enjoy your cake?  Yes, my birthday was pretty great!!  Elder W. bought a pizza and Elder F. and Elder M. bought a cake with sparklers!!! It was super legit!!

Pizza from Elder W.

The cake with sparklers.

WAY TO GO ON THE BOSS EAGLE PROJECT LITTLE BRO!!!!!!!!!! It sounds like the project was a huge hit and really helped give Jason a well-deserved confidence boost!! Yeah, it definitely looks like it went better than my project did!! Ha ha.

The space heater is pretty standard, we hooked it up to an actual plug now.

This week was full of finding new investigators and then not checking up on them so no one went to church. I just want to work, I just want to baptize!!! It’s been almost 2 transfers without a baptism!! 

Me and Elder W. chilling out eating some brownies with ice cream!!! It was super good!!

Me pondering the meaning of life in my hoodie and beanie before going to bed.

Also this week we finally ate Schwarma, which is the sandwich/wrap/bbq thingy. It’s pretty darn good, too. Go, Avengers!!

One more random food picture.

This is definitely my hardest and area but it is also where I have grown the most!! The Lord is definitely putting me deeper and deeper in the refining fire. I know that He will never give me anything that I cannot handle, so I say: BRING IT ON!!!

com amor!!

(I’m so proud of you little bro!!)

Elder Cummings

Happy in Cascavel: April 29, 2013

Dear Everyone,

1. How did you like your birthday box? (I hope I explained everything that was in it—if I didn’t, let me know.) I hope you enjoyed the Ties of Love as much as I enjoyed gathering the ties from everyone. I hope you can take a picture as you wear each one of the ties. THE TIES ARE SO AWESOME!!!!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Also, please thank Aunt Paula for the peanut butter and homemade jam. It arrived at the best possible time, because we get money every 15 days and that means that every now and then we have 3 p-days without getting money and today is number 3 so the food was definitely very welcome (and very yummy!)
2. How is it going with your new companion? Where is he from? Elder M. is from Pará way up north. I am super excited to be companions with him this transfer.
3. Dad wants to know what does it take to become a senior companion in your mission? I am still trying to figure out how to become a senior companion, I feel as though (said with a much humility as possible) I am ready to be senior comp but I guess I still need to learn more as a junior first. I have no idea!!! There are not set requirements, I know that Elder W. was called to train directly after being trained and we have a new zone leader with 2 less transfers in the field than I do, so obviously I haven’t figured it out quite yet. L
4. Do you know anything about Skyping on Mother’s Day? May 12. Not that I am looking forward to it or anything. J If we can avoid the hours of noon to 4 your time, that would be best, but we will do what we have to in order for it to work. I will make Skype plans this week, and I’ll plan it for after 4 my time and let you know this next week.

Goodbye, Elder R.! On his way to Maringá.

Hello, Elder M.! Welcome to Cascavel!!

This was the happiest week of my mission so far because:

1. Elder M. and I worked our tails off,
2. I’ve got Elder W. back in my apartment, which is super good, and
3. Elder F. is still here in the apartment!!

It is soooooo stinking good to have Elder W. here in the same apartment with me!!!!

I finally have a scriptural hero, so to speak. I finally found someone in the scriptures that I want to be like. It is Nephi from 3 Nephi 7:18.  “And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.”

It is just a blast, and we are working super hard, so that makes everything great. Oh—and I have a ton of new ties!!! J

Me running in a field trying to find baptisms!! haha!!

Close-up of one of my birthday ties (from Grandpa Cummings)

I did come to a heart-wrenching decision this week, and now I know a little bit of what Abraham felt when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac. I decided after much prayer that I should sell all my video games upon getting back to the States. Unfortunately, I don’t think an angel will appear and stop me at the last second L ha ha!! I know this is a huge step for me!!

All those people on Facebook seem fine. You are still keeping a list of all the new people so I know who they are when I get back, right? 

Can you get me the email of the BYU swim coach?? Thanks!! And, tell S.G. I’ll email him back this next week. I’m running out of time today, but I did get it this time so that’s good!!!

Now, on to the news of the week:

Here in Cascavel there were a lot of transfers, even with the whole new stay in the area for 6 to 8 months rule, only one companionship in the entire zone didn’t have a transfer!! Crazy!! We are all doing great in our apartment. Elder W. and I have been doing a lot of catching up this week and running every morning!! Elder M. and I are doing great as a companionship and working super hard!!! Unfortunately, our two baptisms for this past week fell through but we aren’t discouraged. We are working a lot more with the LMA (not sure what that is—Marie) recently and found these two incomplete member families where the kids are inactive and the parents aren’t members so we will work with them, and baptize the parents!!! Yeah!!!

Elders W. and F. are away at a leaders’ conference again, but this next p-day we are going to go to a shawarma (Middle Eastern “street food”) shop. (You know, that restaurant that they go to at the end of The Avengers!!) Yeah, that will be dope.

Oh, btdubs (BTW), I totally bit the dust this morning on our run trying to run on the curb and scraped up my leg pretty good, but it’s no worse than those giant turf buns marks I’ve gotten before, so I´ll live!! Sorry the letter is lacking this week, I will try to have more things to write about in my next letter! Great letter as always.

com amor,

Elder Cummings