Letter from Elder Summerhays, July 29, 2008

Dear Familia,

Haha! Well, I am a happy boy this week as far as letters are concerned! I received 15 letters on the same day! I couldn't believe it! My companions were jealous! Just kidding, we just teased back and forth a bit. It was really great sitting down and reading all those letters. I was delighted to receive a letter from Taylor. These past few weeks have been up and down. I got really disappointed one week because we worked really hard, were obedient and walked a ton. But on paper it looked like we had done nothing. Nobody would let us in and a lot of our investigators literally disappeared off the face of the earth. Finally near the end of the day we met this young man and from that first day we knew God had prepared him. For the past week we have been teaching him, and he is already reading more of the Book of Mormon than the average member, and has no problems with anything we teach, including chastity and the Word of Wisdom. He is excited for baptism and so are we. His baptism is August 10th. Whenever we go there we leave with huge smiles. I felt like Alma 26:27, when Ammon is talking to his brethren, "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us...". I never realized how important of an attribute patience is until now.

I've taken an interest in powerful poems and quotes I can find in the Ensign. Another Elder shared one with me called:

"Fire and Ice", by Robert Frost.

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire,
I hold with those that favor fire.
But if I had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

The meaning of this is both apparent and hidden, or maybe it just depends on how your mind deciphers it, but I will let this mean to you what you make of it. But could you find more short powerful poems and quotes? I learn a lot from them to be honest.

Anyway, it was great getting all your letters. Let me tell you, I shed a few tears with something Mom told me. I don't know if this is meant for everybody's ears, but Mom, you said McKenna sent you a text message that said, "I love Tay", and I remembered when I would give McKenna big hugs. It sounds like Taylor in some way is giving out "Big hugs". It just made me so happy and so comfortable being here and knowing that my family is okay and loves each other. The world is so broken these days and it is so much more apparent as a missionary. The family is our constant in life, our anchor, along with the "Rock" of the Lord. The world has become a raging festering tempest of sleaze, deceit, hunger and pain. Full of lies and half truths. But I've realized that in our families, as in Mark 4:39. Imagine..."Peace...Be still.......And there was a great calm...silence..." Make it so family. I don't want the pain I see everyday to pollute my house. What light the Lord is, we just have to look. Look to the light, there are things that look like the light, but they are weaker, not bad, but not perfect. I've learned that's what makes missionary work hard (at least here) is not that everyone is evil and has problems but that people are kind of complacent. We try to help people look for things that are good, then find something great, and then find something excellent. Good, better, Best.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. I love you all, I know this church is true, I know that Jesus is our Savior and only through Him can we return to our loving Heavenly Father. I know that not only can we live eternally as families, but the organization of heaven is a family, that's how powerful the family is, it is heaven. I love you all, show the world your light, show them you are different. You're not just good or great, your excellent. May the spirit of the Lord be with you and your family be heavenly.

Love your son and brother,

Elder Cameron Dean Summerhays