Dear January,

You were good to me.

I warned you that I would feel like this. I told you that if I left to see her, it would be hard to come back. And now here I am, remembering what it's like to be cold.

Dear Natalie Cherie,

You've inspired me.

When i'm stressed, I run around with my head cut off. Traffic feels like it's going to last forever. My breathing feels shallower. My memory blurs. And the agony of the situation never seems to end. 

And then I come talk to you for 5 minutes. And it ends up taking 2 hours because I can't get enough of the words that fall from your brain. They hit my heart with solid momentum and send my heart reeling. I spend the next week re-thinking my life goals. 

I've had a few thoughts lately. Mostly to do with the realization that I enjoy a little bit of pain.....and some other RM reflections:

I was thinking the other day that I love vegetables. So I bought a massive red cabbage and thought how putrid this must look to the rest of the preservative-stuffed-college population. And then I realized that I don't ACTUALLY like vegetables. But I LOVE balsamic vinaigrette. And that makes ALL vegetables taste good. Same thing happened with mexican food and hot sauce. And also I used to love tortilla chips and now I only crave the salt and vinegar kind. 

Is it horrible for me to be coating my stomach lining with vinegar and spiciness?…..probably. Is it better for me then ramen? ….possibly. Have I, somewhere along the last year and a half, gotten my body to appreciate the good things in life even though they are slightly tainted by pain? …seems like it.

I don't really listen to music. Only when my best friends are singing it. I also really enjoy reading...but not romantic or non-fiction. I don't even really like classics unless I know what going on in their world first. I like history. Because people are fascinating. Except not politicians. 

I've also recently noticed that I don't really enjoy a lot of things unless I'm doing them with the people I love. 

Ok so really I just like relationships. And learning about how to better them. That's kind of it. 

And that kind of scares me. 

Because I feel like society says that I should have hobbies other than people. 

But is there anything better then listening to someone talk and being completely captivated by what they say? Or watching someone do dishes and thinking to yourself how fantastic of a human being they are?

Being a psych major and an RM: all this work for one title. But honestly, that is all I have right now: 5 years of studying people.

And I love it.

But if you'll allow me to be really frank, here: it's been super painful too. I still have to catch myself sometimes when I start thinking that I have things to prove to people. I still have to stop myself sometimes from walking down the miserable attitude path.

But if I have learned anything from my mission, it's that I have immense power to change my life. That if I take the spiciness for what it's worth, the end result will be glorious.

It all just depends on how you look at it.

So I guess this is a long way to say i appreciate you, filtered through many Chloé neurons. I am glad to have you in my life, Nat. Thank you for being who you are, because it inspires me to be who I am...or at least strive to be who I want to.

Sincerely,
the new (Sister) Chloé Sumsion

temple square, slc

provo, ut

my besties, the campbells

March 23, 2015

Only Two and a half weeks to go!!!!

Check out what I found this week: an Illinois car in Iowa with a park city sticker! all my favorite places in one!!!!!

Love, 

Sister Sumsion

 

Ames - zero degrees

Sister Sumsion didn't write a letter to post but she did send this cute picture...that I wanted to share.

Ames,  Zero degrees

Meanwhile.... in Ames,

1-26-15

Hope all is well with Sundance happening and Ben & Lexi are enjoying their snow. 

Meanwhile in Iowa.....IT'S SO WARM!!!!!!

Spend SO MUCH TIME away from my area this week. 26 hour "vacation" to MLC in Iowa City and then 8 hour trips for three days in a row to all the Zone Trainings we cover. I T WAS THE GREATEST THING EVER! I was so spritually exhausted by the end of the week (remember when Lehi falls onto his bed because his mind was just blown because he saw all the inhabitants of the earth ever?) because the Spirit was just so clear in my head and heart and it was an amazing thing to experience. I could feel how imperfect I am and yet how strongly the Lord wanted to use me as His instrument. So incredible. 

Meanwhile in Ames...NO ONE WAS DOING MISSIONARY WORK! hahahahaha

This week we had like 4 lessons with 2 families. It was nuts to feel like so much had happened since last time we saw them, but that I was so happy seeing them again that I wanted to talk way more! 

F--- was one of those. She is great. We have taught her just about all that she is "required" to know before baptism. She expressed that she wanted to know so much more. It has been cool to watch the Spirit work on her and see her desire to read the Book of Mormon just hit her unceasingly. She has this crave for it and she doesn't really know why. We asked her if she had noticed a difference in her life since started to learn about the church and she said: "Ever since I've started learning, I have felt calmer and less anxious in life." It was a sweet moment. 

Meanwhile in our studies.....WE ARE FREAKING HOW TO KNOW HOW TO HELP HER FEEL MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT IT. hahahaha she is slowly building the confidence about needing to be baptized just from thinking and studying. it's awesome. thank you for the prayer!

The other family we saw was the J----s. Sister J--- had a WAY hard childhood and now is a single mom with kids and grandkids all OVER the place in her house. Her son just got married to a Lutheran and she said she wanted to be baptized before I got here.......but we haven't been able to be consistent with her since. She works Sundays and is way "too busy" to read. We talked after we saw her the first time and basically decided that we couldn't do much to help her if she wouldn't try at all to learn. We went over again Sunday night and had a KILLER lesson about the Tree of Life and everyone was in on the lesson and we were like.......um.......now what?

Meanwhile in the J--- home......MIRACLES ARE HAPPENING. so so so slowly. but they are happening. you just got to LOOK!

Also: happiest tender mercy ever: so the day of J---- baptism he moved to Des Moines with his aunt and grandma. He knew all along that he didn't have the money to move back to ISU for another semester but was trying really hard so he didn't tell us. He told us he would be back last week and still wasn't back so we text him and he told us he would not be able to afford to come back. We were SSSSOOOOOO SAD! He is one of my favorite parts of my whole mission so we were just trying except that he wouldn't be coming back. Then he texts us a few days later saying "just kidding, I'm coming back." Turns out he had been praying HARD CORE because he felt like he needed to be back at ISU but saw no way to make that happen. Then he said he felt inspired to read his scriptures and then to call this one associate of this organization and she realized that his financial aid hadn't gone through and she fixed it. He is now currently paying tithing on those funds and back and running at ISU. He is the most incredible person EVER. SO MUCH FAITH!!!!!!

Meanwhile Sister Barney and Sister Sumsion are SSSSSOOOOOOOOO happy to have him back!

Good week! Lovin' life! Can't wait to see my fam again! Love you guys so much!

-Sister Chloe' Michelle

STL in Ames Iowa

January 19, 2015                                                                 in Ames since december 8, 2014

Guess who is HAPPY: This sister! Oh my word. December was a COLD month and this week it was above 30 all week and I had forgotten how much I LOVE THE SUN!!!!!!!! I was just on cloud nine all week. It was freaking AWESOME......and then I get a letter from Elder Sumsion in NJ who said it's been "cold" this week...cold being near 20 degrees. hahahahhaha perspective is a wise friend.....

So yes: guess who had a good WARM week in Iowa: This sister. Sister Barney and I both stayed here in Ames, so we are excited to both finish our missions here. Weird. Never thought I would see the day. Good thing there is SO much to keep us busy so we don't think about it too much. :) This transfer is going to be "NUTS!" We have 2 MLCs, 6 ZTM, 5 exchanges, interviews with President, Sister Barney's departing temple trip, and (we pray) a baptism. We counted a full 14 working days in our area. hahahaha NUTS! 

Guess who loves being a sister training leader: This sister. It's a lot to think about, but it's a lot less worry than training and a lot less stressful thank being trained. It's fun to be at a point in my mission where I feel like I know enough about the work to not feel like I'm drinking through a firehose anymore........but now I just have all the responsibility stacked on top of my shoulders instead! hahaha This week was a lot of trying to find a balance between "doing all you can do" and "relying on the Lord." We are to give our heart, might, mind, and strength.....and then our hope and faith that the Lord will take it all and make something BEAUTIFUL of it. :) If anyone has any advice on how to do that balance better: PLEASE SHARE!!!! :)

Guess who had the coolest investigator ever: This sister. Fi--- is pretty much our only investigator right now. But she's AMAZING! Student at ISU (go cyclones!) Her sister is a member of the church, so she let the sisters in her door right before I got to Ames and we have been teaching her ever since. She LOVES the Book of Mormon, but is scared to leave her Baptist roots/family. She switches off churches every other week with us, but we think she'll prepare herself to be baptized on the 14th of February. If you would like, she could use some prayers for STRENGTH!

Guess who has seen 4 accidents happen in the past 6 week: This sister.

Guess who loves "big" cities (for Iowa, that is): This sister.

Guess who feel UBER protected: This sister.

Guess who saw miracles this week: This sister. TWO times this week we had a dinner appointment at 6:00 and found ourselves with 20 minutes to spare before the lesson. Twice! So we tried this one potential we hadn't tried in forever, expecting to maybe catch them home, maybe set up a return appointment......instead they invited us in and we taught a first lesson. TWICE!!!!!! (To give you some perspective: that has only happened to me a handful of times in the last 16 months of my life....) Unfortunately, we were late to the dinner with members....TWICE!!!! I am so sorry if this has ever happened to any one reading this: please know it's for a good cause! hahaha --------- One of them was this MANSION of a house and Sister Barney and I were so intimidated (because everyone in Iowa lives in tiny apartments/duplexes) but we felt really prompted so we go and turns out this guy is the founder of Ortho2. Dad, would you mind switching computer systems at your office so we can baptize this guy? Thanks!

Some of my themes running through my head this week:

"It's ok, you don't need to think about home right now!" :)

HE WILL LEAD YOUR LIFE AS YOU TRY TO FOLLOW HIM! -from a really cool lesson we taught

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-unto-christ-2014-theme-song?lang=eng

:) I think that's about it. Kill it out there in PC, NJMM, and NYC. 

Guess who loves her family and misses all 5 of you? This sister.

-Sister Chloe' Sumsion

Christmas weeks - STL week 3 and 4 Ames

Dec 29, 2014

Christmas Jammies

STLs

Our presents are "under the tree"

we tried to have a "trash bag" like dad always does.....but we got so many presents that it couldn't all fit!!!!! #tooblessedtobestressed

ok that's about it for pictures! On the missionary email, it won't let you send more than two (sometimes only one) at a time so sorry that took like 10 emails.....and all my time!!!!! I am out of time now, but I love you a lot. I am happy and it was so good to see your faces. I have really missed them! 

Dec 22, 2014

THIS WAS PROBABLY THE FUNNEST WEEK IN MY MISSION. We traveled to Des Moines Monday to stay the night with the STL's there (Matley & Whipple: know both of them well so it was a fun sleepover). tuesday drove to Iowa City for MLC: amazing leadership meeting and Sister Sumsion's mind was blown with how awesome the mission is. Thursday Friday and Saturday we traveled to 3 different Zone Training Meetings (because we are over all three in the Ames Stake). Sister Barney thinks so much like me, so training was SSSOOOOOO fun. Learned more about leadership and love and being led by the Spirit than I ever expected I would. Felt a cool connection to Bennet way across the country: half expected to see him at MLC.

All the rest of our time we had in our area (which was, like, 3 minutes) was spent caroling and handing out He Is The Gift cards. Met a man from Iraq: one of my life-long dreams. He is a Christian and said we could come teach him. PUMPED!!!!!!!! I love this work more than anything.

Taught only, like, one lesson and it was with a sweet ISU student who knows it's true and is thinking of gettign baptized but has to find a way to tell her family. SUCH A SWEET GIRL!

And last but NOT least: J--- WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!! Sister Barney and I were GIDDY all day. J---, this buff/tatooed/thug of a kid started tearing up after his confirmation. It was SO AWESOME. He really "gets" what it means to give your heart to the Lord. These past two weeks have been a highlight of my mission. I was panicking that something would go wrong but everything was going right and then we started the meeting and headed into the font and it had been locked in the 5 minutes we had left the room for the opening of the meeting. I turned to J--- and teased: "J---: you did this, didn't you!" And he laughed so hard and was like "THIS IS THE WORK OF SATAN!" Barney and I were dying laughing. And then one elder that was there randomly had a key. SO COOL!

I am so happy to be here. I can't wait to talk to the 5 of you on Christmas. HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD ONE!!!!!! Now that Jordan's baptism is over, we officially started to pray for snow so we can have a WHITE chirstmas: but it's SO WARM!!!!! hahaha I will be reminding myself of this when it's -20 in February....haha.....

LOVE YOU

 -Sister Sumsion