Monday, June 27, 2011

The sky is Green and the grass is Ditto.

We have had a pretty great week here in Findlay. First off we were able to go out with a member Nick Rackley on Monday and meet some non-members and try to get to know them. Then that night we found out that Elder Ehlert would be getting transferred.
So on Tuesday we did a bunch of p-day stuff and made sure everything was set for the transfer.
On Wednesday I spent the day in the Holland area (which is Toledo Ohio) with Elder Pratt and Elder Trammel they have a good area up there and a lot of great people. I was excited to find out I would be serving with Elder Green, I've admired his faith and diligence since I met him a while ago. He's a pretty sweet missionary, he's been in the same district his whole mission which is about 10 months. There has defiantly been a difference since he has been here as well. I'm not saying that Elder Ehlert is a bad missionary because he's not, it just seems that everyone I go to see with Elder Green just works out compared to getting flamed all the time also we have been biking like beasts because we are out of miles.
I'm excited to see what happens with the new people we have been working with one of them is named Mary, but she's going on vacation here soon. We also have a great guy named Shawn White whom we helped paint his house and might play basketball with today during p-day. Lastly a family that we have been working with we were finally all able to teach. The Murphy's, at first we met the granddaughter Hannah and then we met the mother Cassi, but we started teaching the grandfather Gerald first. We have been unable to teach Cassi and Hannah because they never seem to be home when we come by. However Saturday night that changed and we were finally able to teach all of them. Their family is great and we really want to get the ward in there to help them out. Both Shawn and the Murphys commited to baptismal dates.
We also go and see a member family the Morrows a bit to help them out and they were robbed this week while they were sleeping. Pretty scary. But they are great and I love them a lot.
Oh and by the way the new missionary in the apartment is Elder Ditto he is companions with Elder Scovill who is sort of training him but Elder Ditto served the past year in the Ukraine but has been unable to get the language the past year so now he's here in an awesomer mission. He's pretty funny and it is really cool to talk to him about Ukraine.
Well I love you all to bits.
(*)<~Elder Sumsion

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Tap Out! And he's gone!!!‏

Elder Ehlert and I have been doing a good job with finding but we have been not doing so well with retaining those investigators, however this week we were not only able to find but we also taught two investigators that have been difficult to keep in contact with.
One of them was Stephanie (the person where we knocked on her door and she invited us right in). We just happened to knock on her door when she came home from work early. It was great because she's still very interested.
Another was Gerald whom we had taught a couple weeks ago. We watched the restoration with him and we saw some improvement and progression in him which was awesome. Hopefully we can stay in contact with him and his family.
We had a couple exchanges this week, I went down to Lima with Elder Read on Wednesday the 15th. We actually had a pretty wonderful evening. First we talked to a couple cool old guys gutting live fish right in front of us, then we taught a lesson to George and Tabitha Baymen. I really liked teaching and talking with them. They are pretty strong members of another church but I bet they'll get baptized. Then we taught Andrea Crites whom I had the privilege to give a baptismal interview too a few weeks ago. Finally we taught Skip and Julie Bodecker and their family. Julie actually got baptized on Saturday!
The following day I spent with Elder Pratt (he actually replaced me when I left New Castle 10 months ago) in Findlay, his missionary attitude is just superb. We were unable to do much other than teach the Vermillion family though.
Well we received transfer information last night and I will be staying in Findlay. However my patient teaching companion Elder Ehlert (even though he just got here) is being transferred. The cool thing is that Elder Scovill (who came out with my boy Elder Dowley) is training a new missionary in the biking area. So there will be a greenie in the apartment.
Well I love you all.
(*)<~Elder Sumsion

Monday, June 13, 2011

Apple makes me think of Caramel Apple (or Adam and Eve, who knows). ~Elder Scovill‏

It has been a pretty exciting week. Started of with some help from a member named Bro. Hodgeman on Monday. He took us out to dinner and then agreed to go out with us to see a new investigator named Dennis. He was really good at trying to get to know him. Then we took off to go drop Elder Conlin of in Perrysburg with Elder Haines and Elder Stone. I saw Elder Haines' foot. It was gnarly his toe nail had been removed and his toe was huge.
The next day we went to Zone Leader Council with the contacting in Cleveland afterwards was pretty awesome. I was comped up with one of my favorite missionary's that always seems to make it into my emails Elder Richardson. They dropped us off in a part of Cleveland called tower city somewhere random and we just talked with every person we saw pretty much, spent a lot of time in a parking lot.
Afterwards we exchanged with the AP's I was with Elder Tracy, he is a very quick and diligent missionary and I appreciate his help in getting me to set my sights higher, he's rather funny as well.
On Friday Saturday a member was having a graduation party we ran into a nice guy named Sam there newly graduated out of High School, he said he was willing to let us come see him. He had a pretty sweet accent but he's from Findlay. Also while we were tracting later that day a nice lady named Mary opened her door and her dog bolted outside and we chased him around the neighborhood for a while and then we were able to talk with her after all that and she said she was willing as well.
Sunday the coolest thing that happened was that I was able to give Charlie the Aaronic Priesthood. That was pretty much awesome. He's such a great guy.
Anyway, Love y'all to bits and pieces
(*)<~Elder Sumsion

Monday, June 6, 2011

Like a thief in the night.‏

We were able to get another 2 new investigators this week, one of them is named Catherine she has a whole family that will eventually become interested in the gospel. She has had cancer twice in her life and this last time it has taken a pretty big toll on her. The lesson went very well with her and I think she really learned a lot and enjoyed it. Although when we tried to set another appointment with her she wouldn't budge from setting one two weeks away instead of sooner which is kind of a bummer but oh well.
Last night we had a miracle, we were going to an appointment to see someone named Hannah with her mother Cassi. They both have been really hard to teach because despite what we do they flame us. When we knocked on the door it seemed like they had flamed us again and just before we were about to leave a man named Gerald opened the door. He is Cassi's father and Hannah's grandfather. They both were not there but with the help of the RM member that we brought a long we were able to get inside the door and teach him a first lesson the best part was when the member committed him to baptism and he said yes. We have another appointment on Thursday with him. Also at the end of the lesson Cassi and Hannah showed up so we talked with them for a little bit and asked if they would be there Thursday as well. They said they would.
We had an exchange with the Tiffin Elders this week I was with Elder Ercanbrack and Elder Conlin. It was a pretty exciting exchange except when I was being a Dingleberry and broke our cell phone. Although at the end of the day we had a good time talking (or being talked at) by a nice man named Arthur Lentz.
This morning we got a call from the AP's and found out that Elder Conlin is being transferred tonight. Elder Ehlert and I were driving up in that direction tonight anyway so we will be dropping him off. The reason why he is being transferred there is because my last comp. Elder Haines accidently slipped underneath a lawnmower and luckily the mower was too dull to chop his toe off but it smashed his foot to the point that he needs surgery.
Anyway, I love you all too bits.
(*)<~Elder Sumsion
P.S. Congrats Brook and Taylor on your graduating!