LDS Podcast "Latter-Day Lights" - Inspirational LDS Stories

The Spiritual Awakening of a Marine - An Unexpected Journey: Devin Cummins Story - Latter-Day Lights

• Scott Brandley and Alisha Coakley

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In this episode, Devin Cummins talks about his life as a marine, and his journey in the military and law enforcement.  He also shares some of his most difficult and darkest times, and how the prompting of a bishop helped to save his life.

Devin's story, while seasoned with challenges and trials, is also steeped in resilience, and is a powerful testament to the endurance of the human spirit and the guiding light of a higher power through moments of isolation and self-discovery.

Join us for this episode as we traverse continents and delve into the essence of faith, unpacking the notion of 'Godwinks' and the belief in divine guidance. Devin's journey reinforces the message that amidst life’s profound trials, joy awaits those who trust in the path set before them by a loving God.

*** Please SHARE Devin's story and help us spread hope and light to others. ***

To WATCH this episode on YouTube, visit: https://youtu.be/0rdQRcOIpcY

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To VISIT Devin's website, visit: https://carbonunicorn.com/

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Also, if you have a faith-promoting or inspiring story, or know someone who does, please let us know by going to https://www.latterdaylights.com and reaching out to us.

Scott Brandley:

Hey everyone, I'm Scott Brandley.

Alisha Coakley:

And I'm Alisha Coakley. Every member of the church has a story to share, one that can instill faith, invite growth and inspire others.

Scott Brandley:

On today's episode we're going to hear how one Marine's experience to fight on the side of right helped him to discover his true mission to lead others to Christ. Welcome to Latter-day Lights. Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of Latter-day Lights. We're so glad you're here with us today. We have a special treat Devin Cummins. Devin, how are you doing today?

Devin Cummins:

Great. Thank you so much for having me. This is a new experience for me, so I you know right when we were starting feeling the spirit pretty strong.

Scott Brandley:

And so I appreciate this, this opportunity to be here, yeah we're really, we're really excited.

Alisha Coakley:

So and I feel like you know, for our guests our guests don't probably know the process, but a lot of the times I do a little phone interview before we schedule a guest to come on, just so that we can kind of talk through little bits of the story. I don't ask for all of the details because I do still like to be surprised, but our phone interview, our 15 to 20-minute phone interview, was what two hours we had so much to talk about. It was so enlightening, and so for all of our guests I'm sorry you guys only are going to get Devin for like an hour or so, but he has so much good stuff to share and I'm just super, super excited about whatever's going to come out in this. I think that you have such an incredible story and perspective and I definitely could feel the spirit the whole time we were talking, and so I'm really, really thankful to you for coming on our show today.

Devin Cummins:

Yeah, absolutely, thank you so.

Scott Brandley:

Devin, why don't you tell everyone a little bit about you?

Devin Cummins:

Yeah, um, I mean, yeah, we'll be, we'll be cruising through this. So, um, which is, which is good. I feel like I'm pretty long winded. Um, I have a lot of tattoos. Actually, this one is actually a tattoo that is responsible for the throat chakra, talking about speaking, authenticity and truth, and most of my, all my stuff has different significance and things like that, and so I am pretty long-winded.

Devin Cummins:

So I grew up in a single-parent family home, not as traditional as today, whereas a lot of times it's the single mother, it was a single father this time. So I had one sister growing up, and, you know, we, we were raised in the church, we, we went to church, you know, every Sunday. I came into the Aaronic priesthood as a deacon and a teacher, co-president even, where I would help, and then, in the priest, I came into being a priest and helping organize and orchestrate the sacrament and making sure everything was very organized and systematic and kind of interesting. I already had a lot of structure going before then, you know, I ended up graduating and going into the military.

Devin Cummins:

Something really kind of to note, though, is I was very, very introverted growing up, very shy, and I didn't know how to talk to girls, because I feel like I didn't really have one to connect with or talk to a mother figure on a regular basis. She lived out of state and, bless her heart, she has her own things that she's dealt with and worried and gone through and things. And bless her heart, she has her own things that she's dealt with and worried and gone through and things.

Devin Cummins:

But it set me off on kind of a unique life where I needed the compassion and the nurturing from my dad, right, and he is, you know, he has a big heart and he, you know, still a very masculine guy regarding like cars and like working on those types of things, and we do trips and stuff, and so you know, uh, loving parents in their own way, um, but uh, most of the time I was just kind of doing my own thing.

Devin Cummins:

I didn't do a lot of one-on-one stuff with him, and then my sister, as a normal sister, didn't want to really have anything to do with me because I'm the annoying little brother, right, um, and so, uh, we it was just kind of the three of us growing up um, I actually ended up becoming a yell leader, a military leader, in high school and started to come out of that shell and started to be more motivated on working out, so that way I could actually uh like pick human beings up over my head and balance them, and I ended up doing that into college too, for a semester, and so that was kind of cool.

Alisha Coakley:

You just picked people up all through college. Just hey, can I pick you up In?

Devin Cummins:

cheer, yeah, I guess that is one way to pick up women right Like quite literally, you know, and I didn't even have a girlfriend in high school or anything like that. I didn't have anybody, you know, I didn't kiss a girl in high school, none of that. I was really shy still. But yeah, when we're stunting and all that, I'm not like you know, hey, I mean, I don't know, that would be really kind of maybe just sort of like that seems so weird. But what's interesting is most guys that would make fun of me for that like they don't realize that when I came into a later career and we'll like get into that I actually know how to throw human bodies. So when it comes to protecting other people, I'm really good at utilizing my body weight and I can throw full grown men.

Alisha Coakley:

Holy cow.

Devin Cummins:

And so it's, it's awesome because people would make a joke oh, you know where's your skirt and all this stuff, and I'm like, hey, I'm around the most beautiful cool gals or women, you know all this and it's so, it's so fun and I don't know like I actually started to really enjoy my life in school and so it was cool, so, and that confidence, so. Something kind of funny, though, is people always say like in bootcamp, you know, they break you down and they build you up, and I decided to join the Marine Corps at 17 and do like some training in a delayed program. I didn't tell my mom.

Devin Cummins:

So they actually knocked on her door and was like, hey, sign here. And she, uh, sign here. And. And she's like, what am I signing? And uh, and they're like, oh, your son's joining the marine corps and, and she, she calls me crying, you know, and and uh, I'm like you know, I'm like 17, I'm like you know, I don't know what I'm and and uh, but I'll be honest, like I was in this program for like 11 months. So right after I graduated high school, I turned 18 and then I went in october to boot camp and I what a culture shock, you know. I here, I'm doing rah rah and it's fun and it's cool with all these friends and everybody loves you, or you know to to life is a little uh, more on the other side of the coin, preparing you for war, you know.

Scott Brandley:

Yeah, right.

Devin Cummins:

And I did sign up to serve my country, to protect my country, to learn how to be a protector and to be a leader and to take this very hard thing and help mold and I guess you could say help mold and I guess you could say create a base for where I was going in my life. And I had a lot of things that I didn't like for sure, a lot of things that were really hard for me. I got a chance to go to various countries. I started in reserve and then I got activated and so I got a chance to train in Japan and Ukraine and Israel and even in Israel. We were having attacks on us well, essentially on the Israelis while we were there in 2007. And then in 2008, at the very end of 2008, we got activated and so we went to Iraq in 2009. And, yeah, we were in Operation Iraqi Freedom and essentially there as a peacekeeping mission.

Devin Cummins:

But, sure enough, there's still stuff. There's mortar attacks, there's small arm fires, there's, you know, there's stuff, there's hostile environments all over the place, and you know, but that's the way of life, like that's how it is and that's what you kind of accept, and so I guess to fast forward, I didn't know once I got out what specifically I wanted to do. I have a connection with, like the youth and children and looking after them and teaching, and so I decided I was like I'm either going to be an and a protector. So I'm like, should I be a cop or be like an elementary teacher? Cause I don't think I don't know if I could do the junior high thing or the high school thing Right as you say, both are really dangerous.

Alisha Coakley:

Your life is in jeopardy either way yeah, it takes a certain level of caliber in order to do either career right yeah, both of them are gonna try your patience, for sure for sure, for sure but uh, yeah, yeah, so I I honestly I didn't.

Devin Cummins:

I didn't know what direction to take and, um, and during this time, you know, I've always been a person of prayer. I pray before I eat, I pray before I drive, I pray before I sleep. I try to stay connected and I try to listen to the spirit on direction and what feels well and what feels like where I'm supposed to go and what I'm supposed to do. And I know we have different things personally with what we feel and how that relates to us on a personal level. Sometimes we think it's maybe our thoughts, maybe it's the spirit, and so I try to be in tune of what is what in the military and a lot of good people and a lot of rough situations too, um, regarding the dynamics, the things we went through and and I don't want to make this whole um podcast about, like all the different experiences with that, because I want to move to like where things are headed now with things Um, but I've got to say I didn't know what direction to go professionally, and so I was working for the state of Utah at the same time as working contracted federal security, at the same time working as a bouncer on the weekends, and it was, it was burning me out, and uh, I was actually trying to um, uh, prepare myself to go to the temple with, uh, my kid's mom, my wife at the time that we had not been sealed yet. So we were, we were looking towards doing that, and I thought that maybe bouncing in an environment of everything that a bar club and everything entails wasn't very conducive to my relationship. And so we, we went through that, um, we went on track with that, and, um, from there I ended up having one of the most, the, the one of the biggest blessings I could have experienced.

Devin Cummins:

I first of all not only started paying like tithing, full tithing, uh, right before, uh, in this summer, but that fall I quit the balancing job. And so here I'm having two financial avenues kind of go essentially Right, and and yet, the month after I quit the balancing job, I got offered a career position, possibly in the federal government, and, and so I, uh, I couldn't believe it. I was so excited, I was ecstatic, and uh, and, and it wasn't until the following March that I pumped out to the Academy out in Georgia. Um, they have a federal law enforcement Academy out there, and and let the games begin and uh, the agency was kind of a paramilitary type agency. You know, I went through the academy, I had to go back for all sorts of different classes and trainings and they made me an instructor with defensive tactics and with firearms and with taser and with use of force, and then they sent me back again to become an instructor for the security officers for processing security through federal properties, like you know, whatever federal agency, whether it's a federal building or the IRS or the Social Security or something like that.

Devin Cummins:

And so I was pretty, I was pretty busy. We, our agency, we essentially would do deployments at times. Not, this wasn't like a regular thing, but we'd go to maybe when they were doing a border surge up by the south border when they had civil unrest like in Portland, Oregon, Hurricane Harvey, things like that.

Alisha Coakley:

Right.

Devin Cummins:

And so lots of cool opportunities, and what's unfortunate, though, is it was really my dream job. That really started to become really, even after the first year, very, very difficult. I was one of the youngest guys in the office and in actually our uh, uh, in our whole region I was the second youngest guy in our whole region and there was a lot of people and, um, I felt really kind of like a little um out, kind of on my own. I don't know if you want to call it ostracized, but I felt like I was very just kind of my own, felt a little alienated a little bit, and so that kind of just you know, one thing after another, one situation after another, one thing after another constantly led to. I started to get really, really, really anxious and really, really, really depressing, because it's almost like marrying the person of your dreams and then it just turns into this really not what you thought, and it starts to get really heavy and you get really lost on what you should do, and so I'd say that I really had my heart broken on that, because I wanted to stay. I thought I was going to be with them forever. I started looking at other agencies that didn't work out and I was pretty lost on what to do.

Devin Cummins:

I had gotten married again during that time, because not to a second current wife. I had divorced the first. Seeing how we don't practice the other stuff, no, but essentially that had dissolved several years prior, which all has its own stories and things like that and I was actually looking forward to my future after that. With my first divorce, I was going to the temple. I was in a good place, so I know a lot of people fall apart after these things. I was actually in a really good place and so I'm now coming out of this.

Devin Cummins:

I leave my career the spring of 2020. And I don't know what I'm going to do. I have no idea. I just know if I stay, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here, and I mean period and um, it was, it was getting that hard and um, and so I uh, but but I had to leave and so of course, it's going to put some stress and strain on the, on the on a marriage, and uh and it and it did on a marriage and uh, and and it did and um, and so I uh, her and I ended up having kind of a declining marriage. She went out of town for a while back to, she was visiting her own home country for a little bit and I uh ended up uh getting COVID. So I leave my career, I'm having a declining marriage, I get COVID, and it's really rough. She's out of the country and she comes back and we finalize a divorce, and so it was the fall that was, like you know, come December, and so she's, she's gone, and it's February and, um, it was four years ago around this time and, um, I didn't know, I didn't know why I was still here, I didn't know I don't have my career, I don't have this purpose, I'm not in the military, I'm not in law enforcement, I'm not in, not in anything.

Devin Cummins:

What am I? A part of no-transcript? I sat, I was actually sitting against my wall next to the bathroom and I thought, maybe today was the day. I thought, maybe after realizing there's nothing here for me and I have two children, and yet I've been told many at different times that what they think of me, which isn't too much, and sometimes, you know, you go in your head and think that it might be better if you just weren't here anymore. You know you don't have purpose, like. No one wants you here, you know. No, no connection or closeness with any family. So why not help god out? And I, I wasn't. I didn't want to do something out of just anger and I'm mad. It's more of I'm sad that I've got nothing to give here and I don't have any purpose here. So this is what's interesting.

Devin Cummins:

So I said a prayer and I said, heavenly Father, please give me a sign that I'm done here. And I had my eye on my safe beforehand and I don't, you know, I keep what I need to in there and I said give me a sign that I'm done here and I'll help make this come to fruition. And I didn't know how much guts I was going to have or whatever to keep moving forward with this, but I knew that in the mindset I was in, I didn't see anything on the other side of this wall and I just wanted a sign that he gave me the green light that I was done here and I was going to help that. And I got a text message right after my prayer and it was my Bishop that I've never texted before and he's like hey, are you doing okay? Wow, and uh, I'm like I, uh, I'm not, I'm not doing so good right now, um, maybe, yeah, uh, and I didn't know what to say to him and he's like you know, I'm going to get some guys over and I'm going to come over and we're going to hang out with you for a minute. And he did, and they, they gave me a blessing and trying to give me some comfort, and they hung out and those things that were occupying my system had gone.

Devin Cummins:

And I tell you what, though, it has been a journey since and I have been taking care of full, 100% full I don't even know the word for it completely. And so, yeah, very blessed and fortunate. What's interesting is, regardless of where I've been in life, it's been coming into me a lot over the last few months, which is very interesting because of, like, how old I think I am. Maybe I should have figured this out before, but but people ask the question if they're so good, or if God's so good, why do bad things happen? And you know this happened to this person Like, how can God allow that Right?

Alisha Coakley:

And here's the thing.

Devin Cummins:

I would put my life on it that God completely hates the horrible things that happens to his children, whether they're kids or they're adults or whatever the case, whoever the case. But he also allows agency, and that's one thing that keeps him in the position that he's in is he allows agency, meaning if somebody has the inclination to do something bad, he doesn't fly down here and put his hand up. What he does is he utilizes the Holy Ghost to influence others, to be that sword and to be that shield, and if you don't heed to those promptings, then he also can't do what he's doing right. And so do great people die? Yes.

Devin Cummins:

Do great people get hurt? Yes, do great people get hurt? Yes, but you know, we also have a tremendous amount of technology for health stuff. But God's not going to say I'm going to stop you from eating this, this, this, this, this. He says you should, you know, eat things sparingly and take care of your body and things like that. But if you decide to ignore that and then you do these other things and get heart disease or diabetes and they die, it's like, but that person was a good person and they died. It's like they also had their free agency to know Now, do some people have like chronic stuff that happened hereditarily Sure? And a lot of these things were, I believe, because we navigated away from taking care of ourselves in whatever level mental, physical, spiritual ways that have kind of derailed us a bit from that that closeness of, of wellness, I guess?

Alisha Coakley:

I guess you could say, and so there's probably a lot that maybe would not agree with me, but you know, I it's funny Cause I was actually just talking to my husband about this a couple hours ago, about the whole like, um, like you were saying, like why would God allow so much bad stuff? And and I think that sometimes too, it's like he wants to see if we're going to use our agency to become better, right, like not not that he needs to to, because he knows everything that's going to happen, but he wants us to see how we use that agency. And so if you didn't have the bad, if you didn't have these horrible things happening, you wouldn't also be able to see these great examples of people either. You wouldn't get to see the great examples of sacrifice and of perseverance and of love and of you know, like that, that immense amount of protection that's given and safety and security and things like that.

Alisha Coakley:

And so I I think that you know it's not even that he's, he's making these things happen, maybe not even allowing, maybe he's, maybe he just he, I mean, he just knows so much more than we do, right, but I just think it's one of those things like we don't know everything. We only know how we feel about the information we have. But the information we have is so limited that if we had more, maybe we would understand God more and maybe we'd understand why these bad things happen more. But I love that you were that person that kind of took that agency and you were like what can I do for good? Like, if the bad is going to be there, how can I fight that bad off? You know whether it's working with the Marines, going into the military or the government and things like that. Like it definitely seems like you are, at heart, a protector and and a server, and so I guess I'm going to turn it back over to you.

Scott Brandley:

So I have a thought on that too. I think a lot of it also comes to put down the perspective, because in our perspective we have a hundred years to live or whatever, but in God's perspective, we have eternity. So if, if bad things happen to good people, in his perspective it is just, it's just that, and then you know. But to us it's like oh, our, our child was killed, or our husband or friend were killed and they, their life was shortened, but in and it's in perspective, it's just a blink.

Devin Cummins:

You know that brings up a really good point. So I have two children and we were actually supposed to have our third back when I was still married the first time and the little dude didn't make it all the way and we ended up having a little burial service and I didn't know how to think about it. I didn't, I was really confused. That was a new emotion I hadn't really had before, right Cause I'd never like lost a, lost a kid, and um, and and.

Devin Cummins:

Though he didn't make it full term, um, it was enough that we had like a little box for him and put little wow, sorry um, okay, so so we buried him and, um, and what's interesting is, like it wasn't until like after the fact that when we, I was like in the store, I I would just have like these coming parts and couldn't understand what was going on with me and what the perspective was is something that you had mentioned, scott, is it wasn't until three months later that we discussed having a divorce and it made me wonder that maybe the little guy needed to just get a body, and he was just that's it.

Devin Cummins:

He, this pure little soul, just needed to get a body, didn't need to go through this, this soup sandwich that it feels like sometimes, this this test, and and and just continue on to the next stage of what's the what's to come, and, and he's, you know, and, and I was, we had been sealed by then. So we have, you know, three sealed us, and, and uh, but that perspective of you know what we were on the cusp of a divorce and how would have that have been for him to experience that at at, I think he would be about he'd be about 10 right now and uh or nine, and uh and nine or 10. Yeah, wow, um, but I don't know. I don't know what God has for him. But I never was like why God? Why? I'm like I just don't understand it. I really tried to get in the mode of not saying why God or why me. I'm always like can you just?

Scott Brandley:

help me to endure this.

Devin Cummins:

Can you help me have? The strength to do this Because I don't think of him as, like a spiteful God. I know that people get angry at him or they, and and I and I'm not going to knock people that do that I think that they just don't get it and and I and I'm not saying I'm the omniscient one by far, but I am saying that if it was a spiteful God, I could blame him, but I don't think he is. I believe that he's a loving God.

Devin Cummins:

Enough that I read a scripture. I've been reading my scriptures pretty religiously, but I've been reading them every night, either the day or the night, but every day for the last two months, and there was a part that had mentioned don't you think and I think this was in Romans if God can give his own son he loves you so much that he gives literally his own son to die Don't you think that he would be happy to give you anything else? Obviously, if it's according to his will. Sometimes we think of a lack of abundance, right. Or we think of like I don't know, I don't think of a lack of abundance, right. Or we think of like I don't know, I don't think there's enough of this and I don't think there's a, I don't think I'll be able to survive that, or I don't have enough money for this, and it's like I think, instead of focusing on all these things, that could be just like redirect to him, because he knows better than all of us of what we need and what we want too. He knows that we have wants. Wants aren't bad.

Devin Cummins:

You know, he talked about the tree of life in Genesis 2, and he said that it was pleasing to the eye. Like he could have made it look terrible with great tasting fruit you know what I mean Like the tree of knowledge or the tree of life. He can make that look terrible, but he, he creates things of beauty. He wants things to be pleasing for us because it's, it's just how he is. He's a he, he's about love and abundance and I truly believe he wants us to be.

Devin Cummins:

I mean, men are that they might have joy, right, and Adam felt that men might be, that they have joy. And one of my biggest flaws is I carry around everything bad and the things that I've said and done and I just put it in a big with me and it's like no way to live, trust me, and I'm trying to give that bag to Christ. I'm trying to respectfully, because I'm like I mean, here is this amazing man that wants nothing but to love us and to bring us closer to him and his father, and'm like, hey, you see everything that I don't ever want to look at. Can you hold it?

Devin Cummins:

right like, like. Would you do something with it?

Devin Cummins:

like yeah I don't want to be disrespectful, so I'm trying to get out of that mindset of like no, really, that's what he's here for. He is that transition from this mortal, literally from. He went through the resurrection, from mortal to immortal, to eternal life. He wants us to have that same transition. The only way to do that is through christ, and and. So let the games begin.

Devin Cummins:

So last year I decided to go on a tour through Asia and I went to eight countries in about three months, traveling the world just by myself, and I was making so many cool connections. And what's interesting is there was a very heavy theme with where I kept ending up and while I was in each country, if I was not traveling directly on a Sunday, I would be looking for a ward near me. So here I'm on the record locator and I'm, like you know, trying to map out the stuff and and and. What's interesting is I was finding wards, not only wards, but I was accidentally running into temples, our temples, and because there's temples all over the place in Asia, especially Thailand, beautiful, but there's temples everywhere, right, but our temples is a little more less common, right, right, more less common right, right and um, and and where I ended up on this little trip where I met this guy, uh, while it was like a trip within a trip, uh, you know, here I'm in the philippines and I'm doing this little trip, and then it and it was. It was this really spiritual special experience where I, no joke, was listening to like god of wonders and was taking pictures of this church and as I passed, it was like Lord of heaven on earth and, no joke, the picture that was captured was this church and this top of it was Christ, lord of heaven and earth. And I'm like looking at it and I ran into like this homeless guy and how he gave me like a rosary with a little note thanking me for like getting him water, like I had helped him with something that he saw.

Devin Cummins:

Kindness and kindness is a universal language. Animals understand it, people understand it, right, and then this guy's giving me like a rosary and like a note saying thank you, brother, like I. Okay, so, as I'm moving along, though I end up in, okay, so, as I'm moving along, though I end up in, uh, I end up in Thailand and I go up this really cool mountain and it's winding roads and it's I'm going up to this golden temple, and I have a picture, uh, in one of the ones I sent, and it's, and it's beautiful, I mean, like this is wild, and unfortunately the clouds are coming in. So I decide I am going to go down, because I don't want to get caught in a rainstorm, because I'm renting a motorcycle, like a, like a, like a motor scooter, right, um, the thing is, with this road though, there's oil on the road and, uh, and so rain and oil have a bad mixture with vehicles, and so, sure enough, I ended up coming down this road and it starts to rain and it's zigzagging, and, as I'm going, I pass around this truck and dump the bike, and the bike goes flying and it's sliding and it hits the guardrail and it smashes under the guardrail and I'm flying down the road, my head hits the ground, the helmet goes flying, it's chewing up my pants, it's chewing up my hand I'm still going and then I hit the guardrail with my foot, bounce off and spin out, and it was right in front of a truck that picks up people to put the bikes in the back of the truck to transport them down the mountain.

Alisha Coakley:

Oh my gosh.

Devin Cummins:

Okay, so they pull over and three of them get out and start working on unwedging my jacked up, bent-framed motorbike into the back of their truck to then transport me back to the rental place.

Alisha Coakley:

Wow.

Devin Cummins:

And I'm chewed up. My headphone had like popped out of my ear, you know, and uh, but all I had was a chewed up hand and and it and it's, and look, I mean it's, it's, it's very pretty now.

Devin Cummins:

And this thing I had. I had skin flapping off it Like it was rough, and when I got and when I got back they ended up giving me I was like I need to clean this thing out. This is probably this needs to get cleaned out. And the rental she did not like me very much because I wrecked her bike, right.

Devin Cummins:

And so I'm like, do you have any thing to clean my wound? And so she said, yeah, here and gives me a spray bottle of alcohol, just straight rubbing alcohol, and I I've had a lot of pains in my life but I think that's top tier, like.

Alisha Coakley:

That's like in congruence really it was worse than the tattoos and all the things I would say I would take.

Devin Cummins:

I would take tattooing my throat and everything else over that any day. I would take tattooing all day. Versus like that was so and and so what did she say? She's me and uh, and so I do. I was like, I was like all right.

Devin Cummins:

I probably could use some more. And so I did it again and I just remember it was just so excruciating and and she said wow, you are a strong person, you should follow your heart. No joke, that was her response. And and I thought even since, I've been just piecing that together and I, and what I pulled from it is that I am willing to go through pain If it's going to heal me, if it's going to help me. Like I'm, I'm willing to go through what's and if I know it's going to hurt, but like I'm, I'm willing to go through what's and if I know it's going to hurt, but I'm still going to do it.

Devin Cummins:

I think that takes a lot of character and um, so this is what's wild. On top of that, I uh, I I'd I'd gone to a different town. After that, I flew, or I took a train, a night train. What's cool is, you can sleep on these trains and so I was in Chiang Mai, thailand, and I took a train down to Bangkok, thailand, and it was Sunday. It was coming up on Sunday I think it was the following day and I ended up going. I was trying to find the ward near me and I end up at this church and they're like the church is closed, like we don't. We don't hold church in this church. It's actually in the temple building. And he was spoken broke English, spoken English, and I'm like the temple, okay, like there's temples everywhere. Maybe it just means like the steeple, or so. I see these two other guys and I'm like guys, we're late, we're late. Now we got to go, let's go. Like these random dudes that were going to church too, from Thailand, I was like come on, guys, let's go.

Scott Brandley:

So we're trying to go.

Devin Cummins:

And I kind of felt like I was like man, these guys are lollygagging, let's go. And I put up on my Google Maps LDS Temple near me, just in case. And it's 0.1 mile, it's around. It says it's around the corner. And as I'm walking I peek around and no joke, is the brand new, not even dedicated yet, bangkok temple and and guess where? We're holding church in the temple, really, yeah. So, oh my gosh, so we hold church in the temple and it, I end up meeting like these three really cool people.

Devin Cummins:

One of them was from, I believe, malay, I think hold church in the temple and I ended up meeting like these three really cool people. One of them was from, I believe, malay, I think it was the Philippines, another one from Japan and another one from a country in Africa, and really cool people and we, I don't know. They just kind of show me around the town and stuff. It was my, it was my first night there and, uh, just really good people, but I I didn't know that the temple was right there and you know what was interesting is, my next stop was Vietnam and if you look on the record locator, there are only four, there's only four wards in Northern Vietnam, the entire country. There's only there's only four wards in Northern Vietnam, the entire country. There's only there's only four in Hanoi, and I put in my, I got on my stay.

Scott Brandley:

I was like you know what I'll try to go to it.

Devin Cummins:

I'll try to go to a church and I and I put in the record locator churches near me and there was one a rocks throw from me. There's four in the entire country of Northern Vietnam and it's around the corner from me. Oh, wow.

Devin Cummins:

So I go and these guys are the kindest people. Oh my gosh. Same with the Philippines. Like in the Philippines, they were like you know, they greet you when you come in. There's like four people on either side. You're like shaking hands with both sides. They're such a loving people, you know, and here I am now in vietnam, and they're such a strong like community of members and um, and you know they so.

Devin Cummins:

So I had these, this, this really cool special experience with that and I gotta say this is one of the most emotional, like kind of takeaways is I got a chance to go to sappa, which which is it's like you've seen like those layered rice fields in Vietnam.

Devin Cummins:

So this place is, it's incredible, it's a whole nother world and when you go there you can have guides and people that take you on trucks around it. And after you know my initial place in Hanoi you know I was checking out some other places, beautiful places, and I end up in Sapa and we are to meet at this it's called, it's the notre dame cathedral there and, uh, all the tourists there and everything. And when you get there and they see, and everywhere I go, I get a lot of attention because of, like my stature, my tattoos, I'm american. You know tattoos, I'm American. I think they see white guy with tattoos, money, buy our stuff. But I got flooded with all the kids, all the families, and we're doing pictures and it's so fun, and all these kids want me to buy all their stuff and I'm like, oh my gosh, how am I supposed to?

Devin Cummins:

I'm just like, okay, you have money you have money, how am I supposed to do?

Devin Cummins:

this so I'm like, oh my gosh, how am I supposed to like? I'm just like, okay, you have money. You have money. Like, how am I supposed to do this? So I'm like I'm not buying from anybody and I'm like I'm sorry you guys are so sweet, like thank you, and this little girl stays behind and I end up like just, hey, you know what, Just have this. I gave her some money and I was like don't tell everybody. Just and she comes back and she gives me this little key chain guy and he's he's got brown hair, he's got a little baseball hat and he's got a satchel with a little heart on it. And everywhere I go I carry my satchel with my little carbon unicorn like icons on them, and and I thought that was so sweet I was like, wow, this is like, this is like what, like my little inner child or something right, oh and and.

Devin Cummins:

So while she was hanging out and actually I think I'm not, I can't remember if some of her other friends were still here, but at least her I was showing her some of my fun travel pictures and she saw one of my folders that's labeled spiritual and on it is the picture of Christ pulling Peter out of the water after Peter, you know, kind of loses his faith temporarily and she had seen it. And she leaves and goes and gets back one of her friends and she's like she's not even talking, she's just like points to my phone and then looks and then back to one of her friends and she's like she's not even talking, she's just like points to my phone and then looks and then points to the folder and then finds the picture. It was actually she pointed to the, so I pulled out my pictures and she pointed to the picture of Peter getting pulled out of the water by Christ and then gestures to her friend and points to Peter and points to me and I was like holy smokes, man Like, and I'm like I guess I kind of do look like Peter a little bit, you know, but how symbolic, because in my life I've been in so many places where I feel like I've been drowning and I've been underwater and I've been scared and I've been like unsure of what to do and reaching out my hand to like get this help. And that was really special, you know, it was really, and so. So as I'm still trekking through, I'll kind of wrap up some of these countries.

Devin Cummins:

I don't know if you guys want to do a part two, but wrap up some of these countries. I don't know if you guys want to do a part two, but I'll wrap through these countries.

Alisha Coakley:

I think so.

Devin Cummins:

And I end up in South Korea, and so this was like my seventh out of my eight countries. So it went Philippines, singapore, malaysia, indonesia, philippines, singapore, malaysia, indonesia, thailand, vietnam, south Korea and then I'll tell you in a second. So I'm looking for the ward near me. I'm in Seoul, south Korea, and I end up walking past. I'm walking past this building and there's this open door and I just keep walking past and it's like you passed your destination and I'm like where's the church?

Devin Cummins:

And so I back back up and I look down this corridor of these doors that are open, and in the back is the church, is the, it's a that traditional picture of Christ with the red robe that we have in our, and I right when I see it, like yep, I'm at the right place, like this is, this is our, this is the ward. And so I go inside and, as I'm, I'm sitting where we're in, we're in our, our meeting, and well, I think it's. Actually it was sacrament at the time, and so maybe I shouldn't have done this, but I was like the time, and so maybe I shouldn't have done this, but I was like Seoul, south Korea.

Scott Brandley:

LDS temple. And it's like you're here and I'm like wait what?

Devin Cummins:

What do you mean? And so we get done with the sacrament and one of the guys snags me and I think, based on how I look, he's like you know, you know trying to like we were talking about being active in church and things like that, and I kind of felt like he was like on this mission to convert me. And it's like I have my testimony, like I have like.

Devin Cummins:

I know, I look, I'm not the traditional right, right, but I mean his heart's totally in the right place. But I said, hey, is the temple like on the other side of the building? Are we on property right now? He's like, yeah, did you want to see it? I'm like, yeah, like, so we walk up the stairs and we go out this door and the door opens up and there's the temple and there's this missionary building next to it and it's just. I mean it's beautiful, I mean it's just. And I'm thinking, man, like here I am again right. And I ended up meeting this other guy that said, like you know, god's aware of what you need right now. Like he worked with like BYU Pathways, and so he was on property and he just started talking to me and I felt the spirit and I was like my gosh, like he's like God's aware of what. I have my special experience with that.

Devin Cummins:

And I move along to my last country, japan, and this is wild, okay, talking about like, kind of like this, like where this all kind of culminates to. I haven't even gotten to like the crazy weird stuff. So I feel bad because I really want to, because I've gotten into some weird stuff since my trip. That is very eye opening on a spiritual level, Right. But I want to finish up on this, on this jet with Japan, is I was looking for a ward near me and the one that I was thought that I should go to it wasn't having good times, like it wasn't, it wasn't showing the times available. So I was like, okay, let's try this one.

Devin Cummins:

And what's interesting is I went to Japan when I was 19. I turned 19 in Japan at Camp Fuji, japan, with the Marines, and so when we had some liberty, we ended up walking around Tokyo and things like that, and we ended up seeing like the LDS temple and we saw this park and it was beautiful and so fast forward the second half of my life, right 19 years later. And I'm now walking down the street looking for the ward and as I'm going, the steeple with angel Moroni emerges and I'm like you've got to be kidding me. And I stopped and I said I get it. You know like I get it. It's like you want me to. You know of all the wards and all the places and all that.

Devin Cummins:

And this is now the third temple I didn't, I wasn't trying to find and and so, sure enough, it's like in the visitor center and I end up going to church in the visitor center and I get out and I go to the park and as I'm walking through this beautiful peaceful there's like coy in the pond. I mean it's like this beautiful ambience I hear someone calling my name and I'm like, okay, other than the people I just met in the war, like who knows me? I'm in Japan. It's the guy I met in Korea.

Devin Cummins:

It's like the guy that like was outside saying like God knows your needs and things like that. He's like Devin, and I was like you gotta be kidding me. And so we talked about life and the future and even like about the brand and what it represents and things. But it was like it was something that he had brought up and he said he called them and he brought this up, actually in Korea. But he brought up Godwinks, and Godwinks are like when you're like, wait a minute. And he's just being like I got you.

Alisha Coakley:

I got you.

Devin Cummins:

Yeah, I aligned that. Yep, I put that together and it was so special. So what's wild is that the hymn that I sang in sacrament was hymn number 187. For God gave his only begotten, I think that's what it's titled. And what's interesting is the police code for excuse me, I'm not in all reverence, but for murder is 187. And essentially we did that to our own savior, right, the mankind did that.

Devin Cummins:

And as I'm, this is all after church, the temple and all this stuff. That night I'm walking through the night and I don't know what to do with my time. I'm not sure I have nothing planned, but I really want the experience. And this father and son stopped me and they're like, hey, are you a veteran? And I'm like, what is that? I'm like, yeah, and his son was just loves veterans. His son's like in his like mid twenties and he's I mean, he had kids, young and stuff. I'm like, yeah, well, like, do you want to come to an onsen with us? It's a little different than American stuff. So, if you want, and I'm like, yeah, sure, we go to the onsen. And it's a little, um, a little uncomfortable because, well, you don't have swimsuits cause you don't have nothing, right, and the thing is it's not taboo for them there, they're not like weird about it, it's just whatever, like right, and we, we start preparing.

Devin Cummins:

And I noticed on his back he's got tattooed one eight heaven. And I'm like bro, uh, dude, uh, I literally just saying that today, but are you saying like 187? Like? He's like, yeah, like the, the murder code, because you know, and like jesus christ, and I'm like what like, what, like, how is this? And he's like, yeah, check this out. And he turns around and shows me across his whole chest is the scripture of isaiah that talks about spreading your wings and and flying in the clouds. And it's just, and I I have this little thing over here that I don't know if I should get up and show you. But like I have the scripture in my house and I'm just thinking wow. And he's like read my chest. And I'm like reading and I'm like I'm going to stop there, I'm just going to assume the rest of the scripture.

Devin Cummins:

But very blessed situation. And it wasn't and we can pause here but it wasn't only. It was only until after my trip to Asia that things ended up taking a flip and it was. It's very overwhelming, it's it's hard to talk. I mean it was. It's very overwhelming, it's hard to talk, I mean it's weird to talk about, but it's very.

Devin Cummins:

It's kind of set me off on a very different trajectory over the last several months and I'm actually leaving the country in two-ten of them and I'll be trying to visit the temple in some of these other countries and how I've had to prepare and plan these things has taken a tremendous amount of coordination and things, but I'll be leaving in two days and I want him to. I want to be guided to what is whether, how I can help people, what I can do, what my mission is. And I'd say right now there's a theme of helping the two thirds that decided to come down here. I'm trying, if I can inspire them to remember their own value, their own worth and God's love to be navigated back to him, then I'm doing something right, because I feel like my purpose here is to bring people closer to God, because we chose that before we came down here, and if I can connect with the world and help with that, then I think I can be happy for when I move to the next stage of this existence. Wow.

Scott Brandley:

Well, I think your experiences are very unique. I mean, you've your life is is very, very unique to how most of the world lives their life, and I think that gives you a like we were talking about perspective, right. It gives you a very powerful perspective, especially because you have the gospel in your life and, like you're saying, on that last trip that you took, it was almost like God's like hey, I have a plan for you, I have something special for you to do, and I love that. I mean it almost was like he was like beating you over the head with it, right, like he was like winking a lot.

Alisha Coakley:

You're like do you have something in your eye? God, I'm slow.

Devin Cummins:

It takes a lot for me.

Scott Brandley:

But I just love how you're just like okay, I'm going to embrace that and I'm going to move forward and do the best I can to help as many people as I can. I think that's amazing, Devin.

Alisha Coakley:

Yeah, I think we're definitely going to have to have you back on, and I don't know if we need to just coordinate it when you're over in one of the next countries that you're in or if we have to wait for you to come back, but you do not have a boring experience at all.

Alisha Coakley:

It is so intriguing and I can't wait to hear more about your, your journey and your mission and just all those other God winks that I have a feeling are are coming your way. I think that it's going to be a really, really cool experience. But before we go for today, devin, do you have any last thoughts that you want to leave with our, our listeners?

Devin Cummins:

I'd say thank you If you've made it this far, because I know I'm long-winded. Um and uh. Yeah, if we did a part two, I'd be happy to record in one of these countries for sure.

Devin Cummins:

That'd be a special thing, and uh that would be cool be able to share my testimony out there in another part of the world. But if I'd say that just this last thing is to, if you're trying to figure out why you're here or your purpose, the closer you get to God, the closer you'll find your purpose. So pray about it and, whether or not he put somebody in your way or this video to remind you, he does have a plan for you individually, and I think that all he wants is for you to be closer to him, and that's what I would leave with you.

Scott Brandley:

Thank you. Well, thanks, devin, for being on the show with us. Man, we really appreciate your time and your insight and your story and, yeah, it just means a lot. I think it's going to touch a lot of people's lives.

Alisha Coakley:

I agree. I have to say just, I think the thing that I personally am walking away with most is what you said a little earlier in the show, which is, if I have to hurt in order to heal and to become who I'm supposed to become, bring it on.

Devin Cummins:

That's right.

Alisha Coakley:

I love that. I love that so much. I love that attitude and that perspective, just to know that you're really willing to do what it is that needs to get done in order to become who you need to become. So thank you for following your heart and really just doing the things that lead you back to Christ and that help others to be able to see him and know him too. I think you've got some really big missions still to fulfill. No pressure or anything, thank you.

Scott Brandley:

Thanks again, devin, and thank you for everyone tuning in. Um, if you have a story that you'd like to share with us, we'd love to hear about it, and just go to latterdaylightscom.

Alisha Coakley:

We'd love to have you on the show as well. Yeah, absolutely, and be sure you guys do that. Five second missionary work. Hit that share button. Let us know what you thought of Devin's. I'm going to say part one, his part one today and what you're most excited to hear about you know. And his part two. We would love to be able to get some of his messages and stuff across and, if you guys have an opportunity, go check out Devin. What is your website?

Devin Cummins:

So I started a brand and I said, well, I would like to maybe create something that can help inspire others and maybe it can help, you know, help them with certain facets of life, and I've. I could probably talk on this for a while, but I started this unicorn thing, this ideology, back in 2016,. I wore a shirt with a unicorn on it and the amount of attention positive attention it got from this this guy wearing unicorns right Was was so positive and so special and I'm like there's something to this carbon unicorn.

Alisha Coakley:

Okay, go check out the carbon unicorn, see a little bit more about what it's about and, uh, and see if you guys want to collaborate with devon and, you know, support the brand and support the mission and all those kind of things. So we are so thankful to you, devin, again for sharing your story, for coming on here today, and to our listeners. We appreciate you guys. Until then, until next week when we have another story, I hope that you guys have a great week and that you're able to be the light and share the light We'll talk to you later take care of you.

Scott Brandley:

Thank you.

People on this episode

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Scott Brandley

Host
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Alisha Coakley

Co-host