Lessons Learned

Oh mother,  I smile so much when I see I have an
email from you :) ah, I love you moma and Father. Thank you for holding
on to letters for friends, possibly more on the way
Mother, I got YOUR BOX! well the envelopey box :) ah it was very great
momma thank you so much.  Everyone was jealous
like usual but they always get unjealous when I start to share the
goods, and naturally in an apartment of 8 + guys it can go quickly, but
it sure is a blessing and I am very grateful mother. I know it must
not be easy but thank you so so so much for the boxes and what not, we
all enjoy them very much and everyone says thank you :) So, the
goldfish is amazing, the Africans LOVE the protein bars, as do I, I
should be good on hand santizier for at least 2 months i believe ;),
Nature valley bars are Elder Ngerems favorite haha, pictures I loved!
My beautiful Cutler family, loved the pictures of all the Pigs!
Smithfield is truly growing. The stickers are sweet! I put the ham one
on my Business Binder so I love those sort of things, very homey! also
momma, I can buy envelopes here, but I need stamps! I only have like
25 left, and I am sending letters out at a rate of 5+ a week haha, so
many wonderful people write me so I want to write them back. Thanks
mommma dearest! Gum is super awesome, I love to have it during my
studies and what not around the apartment and we can buy some gum
here, but they are this offbrand Asian stuff that literally lasts less
then 5 minutus, so we love the gum. Elder Hales has been generously
sharing his gum with me while I waited :) you are so sweet momma. If
you get a chance could you maybe send some pens? they are kinda crummy
here haha, they bleed through and rub all over my pages, and all the
Africans took my pens at the MTC. just like the small tip ones we got
at wal-mart before. But, mother, like I said before :) if you never
send me another package again, I will be find, super fine, and survive
very healthily hahaha you are so sweet for sending me so many and I am
only so descriptive because you made me promise before I left ;) but I
am so grateful mother and thank you so very much.

I want to thank the wonderful people I received Dear Elders from
because you guys are so sweet to take time to write me. Even the
assistants came down and were like wow! that is the biggest stack of
dear elders letters I have ever seen haha. I was so happy :) Thank you
thomas and laura for another awesome postcards, Jenalyn for your
dearelder, I love drews letters momma so please keep sending, as well
as Katie's aunt deb :) thank yoU! Sis peterson, Rebecca, Mom, Dad,
Jeff Leavitt ( the man) Aunt Deb, Grandma and Grandad, President
Arbuckle, Uncle Sid, Rachel, Miranda (I sent you a letter today and
Cassy, for the wonederful soccer updates :)

Rebecca, I loved your commentary of your family and the olympics, and
your job sounds more exciting then Africa :) I wrote you and Rachel
this morning but Aunt Deb will probably have to forward it :/ sorry
and I am so jealous about the Dark Knight Rises, ahhh but I am patient
:)
Rachel - the nazi joke made me spit my gum out, maybe my humor is
slightly more vulnerable in my bubble hear :) but thank you very much!
I love hearing about your life and I am so excited for you to go to
BYU!

Sis Peterson - some answers to your questions. Our branch probably has
around 100 members, but the activity rate as you can imagine is way
less, but I think we had around 60-70 at church this sunday :) SO
SWEET! as far as football goes, I haven't been able to play much, but
from watching and playing a little bit I am (without pride) better
then most here I would say. They have endurance and speed on me but as
far as technical work I'm up there with PAUL SCHOLES (or for kendall
boyd, PETER SCHOLES). One of the africans at the MTC played
professionaly in Thailand making 60,000 a year and said he had a
promised spot back in 2 years. He wants me to join him...I told him I
would think about it...So yeah :)


So, on to the fun stuff you know, the beautiful Sierra LEONE!!!!! TISH YEAH!
Let us start with Saturdays, because those are my favorite days of
course. Let me tell you all about it :) I spent a little over an hour
Friday night ironing 20+ items of clothing for the baptism on Saturday
morning, yes...I iron now...first legit time of my life since Momma
taught me before college...but, I was fortunate enough to have an
amazing friend, Jenalyn, who was kind enough to iron them for me :)
(thank you Jen). So, now Iron everyday here. Try to look my best, but
back to Saturday. Got up and did a 30 min jog with Elder Symons around
the compound, then had to go iron some extra clothes for the baptism
since the sisters had 2 being baptized as well. At around 7:30, Elder
Ngerem and I went down to the font, to find it absolutely filthy. The
drain doesn't work all the way, so there was about 4 inches of
standing water. Elder Ngerem used his weapons: a towel, a bucket, and
a dust pan, to work for about 30 mintures cleaning the font, while I
swept the surrounding area. We went to turn on the font (sketchy
procedure) and when the water came out it was dirty...so cleaned it
again and started the font back up...but then couldn't get it to
stop....after much tugging and both of us trying our own methods we got
the water to stop...but it was a little full :) but, no harm done. We
got ready for the baptism which was amazing! Had 4 wonderful people
being baptized for our branch and 2 for Freetown area and so many
people showed up!
The best part was that these were all people that I had contacted and
was with from the first lesson :) so it was a really special
experience to watch them all grow in the gospel and all come to
baptism and confirmation at their own times. ah...So, Sister Margaret
Teneh Conteh, Josie Muhamed Peter, Osman Caulker, and Alie Kamara were
baptized and all came and were confirmed on Sunday. One woman Sister
Sandy, did not show up for her baptism...but we pray for the 25th of
August. But, I had the wonderful opportunity to baptize Osman and Alie,
who are both my age, so it was wonderful to see 3 guys my age all make
the decision to follow Jesus Christ, and come into the waters of
baptism :) such an amaznig experience...Ah, you know me, I'm a baby so
of course I cry so much on the mission, like everyday forreals! It's
embarrassing but I am good at hiding it. The spirit is so strong and
so amazing and I love this mission so much. Gosh, it is spiritually
exhausting! ah, but it is so sweet. by the end of the day, I am as
Lehi, so exhausted after his vision that he collapses in bed and
"Methinks I saw god", which us Elders love to ask everyone why he
thinks he saw god but doesn't know? Yeah, run on sentence from heck
right? :) hahahah :) OH, i love mission humor. we are so easy to
please.

So, fun saturday, but not so fun Friday. We had SOOOOOO MANY
appointments. We had 10 set up, so it was not possible that we could
do them all alone, so we got permission and requested the branch
missionaires WA FLOW (hurry quickly) down to the apartment so we could
go on exchanges. I took branch missionary Idressa and we were to go up
the mountain to Gloucester, teach 3 lessons, then walk to Treeplanting
and meet Eldner Ngerem and Saidu...Yeah, our plan went to kaka. After
Idressa and I got out of the transport, our first 2 appointments
bounced on us, and were not home. I went to search my pocket for the
phone...but yes, sadly, gasp and be sad or surpirsed STOLEN! boom
shackalacka, no phone. So, we ran down to a store, bought credit for
Idressa's phone (fun side note, Sierra Leone phone holders don't buy credit
for their phones...they prefer to have phones, keep less then 5 credit
on them and FLASH everyone ( meaning they call someone and then
hangup, so that person with credit will call them and waste their
minutes)) so we called Elder Ngerem but they were in lesson so he said
wait for the taxi to come back. We waited an hour and the taxi showed
up but..as you can guess no phone. So, when you know a phone has been
stolen and not lost, you call the phone (if it is stolen, the person
has removed the sim card, so it won't ring, meaning yeah, your donzo)
so of course, nobody picked up. Stolen. Eventually met up with Elder
Ngerem and Saidu, ran down the mountain to the crowded market, dished
out 105,000 dollars of my own money to buy a new phone and a new card
and then went on the dumb task of regathering numbers. Fun fact again,
Elder Ngerem had lost our previous phone the week before I showed
up...so 1 transfer, 2 phones lost. But, I have learned my lesson. Do
not put the phone in your pocket while traveling in taxis. Put it in
your chest pocket, or inside your back pack. Ah, I felt so terrible
all the day but, I prayed about it. I learned my lesson :) there is a
reason for everything and I believe the Lord has a reason for that as
well. I may never know the reason, but I have faith that it was
necessary. Not my will but thine be done right? :) yeah, I am dumb I
know but everything is okay now.

So, last night we had a very inspiring talk with an old man. An Elder
Taylor was in our apartment...he dies tomorrow. (THIS IS MORMON
SLANG FOR A MISSIONARY WHO HAS FINISHED HIS
MISSION AND IS GOING HOME ) Going back to Wyoming.
So, of course, I asked for some words of wisdom. He taught Elder
Hales, Symons, and I many things and was very inspiring. He really
brought my confidence up and my love for the mission even more :) as
we like to say here after a long day "It no easy", to which someone
always replies "Notta all". This isn't easy...but we all love it :) if
it were easy then it would be no fun. We secretly love the challenge.
We love the work. Or at least I do right? So, on to the food!!!

Food: YES :) SO, some new foods I tried this week. OYSTER! and
Cassava, not the leaf but the actual food, whatever it is called. very
yummy :) very yummy. Elder Ngerem caught a bunch of snails this
morning and a sister cleaned them for us so I am very excited to try
that later this week.
Elder Hales makes a yummy creation that we all love to have now but
he makes definitely the best. It is Chocolate Rice + Oats pudding.
Lets see...Today I sent Rebecca the recipe but I want to share with
all in case you want to try...

Elder Hales Chocolate Rice + Oats Puding
1. Boil rice, stir very often to make sure rice keeps wet and soft texture
2. when rice starts to boil, add the oats,
3. add ovaltine (nesquick pretty much) till brown
4. add sugar till tasty
5. add powdered milk
6. add spoonful of cinnamon
7. Eat deliciousness!

For africa...It is amazing and Elder Hales is chef master breakfast.
Elder Hales and Elder Symons also made some delicious pancakes for me
this week. Super awesome Elders :) they keep me strong and healthy and
doing well! Ah, love them boku boku.

So, life is amazing. I love you all so very much. Did not get letters
this Friday :/ but hopefully tomorrow, so thanks in advance to any
wonderful person that took the time to write me. It means a lot :) be
sure to also Write Elder Ngerem. He needs lots of letters. Even if it
something so small. Like one sentence. I would cry with joy to see a
pile on his desk this week...since last week he received zero. I love
you all so very much family, friends :) The mission is great! best
choice of my life. Elder Taylor said "Live everyday on your mission,
like your mission ends tomorrow." "Your mission is eventually going to
come to an end, so why rush it? you're never going to get to go back.
Too many people waste their time hoping for tomorrow, wasting today."
I have taken those words to heart :) I love this work and I will work
as hard as I can everyday! I can rest in two years.... TAKE CARE
EVERYONE! LOVE YOU!

-Love,
Elder Jesse Sumrak
The Pumwei (except now I get kids to call me black man ;) )