Invitations from a Prophet: Paige Sommer

Sister Sommer & Her Son Cannon

 How I Share the Power and Peace of Jesus Christ.  

"We have the sacred responsibility to share the power and peace of Jesus Christ with all who will listen." President Nelson

Apartment Buzzing

Many years ago, I served as a missionary in Milan, Italy. Most people lived in apartment buildings in the areas where I served. In order to "knock doors" we would have to stand on the street and call people one by one through their apartment buzzers and ask if they would let us in to talk with them about Jesus Christ. As you can imagine, this was a very ineffective way to get people to listen. I remember only one occasion when we were let into an apartment by contacting this way and it was such a huge shock that my companion and I were almost laughing with delight the entire time we shared our message.

Street contacting in Italy

Since this apartment buzzing wasn't very effective, we often did street contacting instead, honestly, also not super effective, even with our three-sided display board featuring pictures of Christ and messages of eternal families. Most people would say they weren't interested or communicate "don't even ask" by giving us a little shake of the hand before we even asked them to stop. This kind of constant rejection wasn't easy to take but we kept trying, I kept trying, even though it sometimes took all my courage to ask someone to talk with me. Why keep trying? Because of our desire to share about the power and peace of Jesus Christ with everyone, the reason why we serve in the first place. The reason why all of us serve. We accept callings and minister because first, we love our Savior. 

Elder Cannon Blaser in Texas

Now my son is a missionary, currently serving in College Station, Texas. He's knocking on a lot of doors to a lot of apartments and not finding many people home. It's hotter and more humid than anything he's ever experienced before, but he happily puts on his missionary attire and he and his companion keep trying every day to share about the power and peace of Jesus Christ.

 

My desire to share about the power and peace of Jesus is still the reason I keep trying--why I keep trying to be a patient and kind mom and stepmom, why I keep trying to be a caring YW leader, why I keep trying to see others through God's eyes. A friend of mine recently said she sees Jesus in everyone she meets and knows. This perspective has helped me look at sharing Jesus differently because I try to see the light of Christ in everyone and wonder what they can teach me about being a better disciple, a better friend, a better Christian. Am I perfect at this? No. Will I keep trying? Yes. Why? "We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19).

By Paige Sommer, Angel Crossing Ward