Momma bear! Ah, so great to hear from you. Geese (yes i will continue that Thomas and Laura :) ) I love being able to talk to you guys on Mondays. I didn't get letters until this morning, for like the past two weeks combined, so that is why I have not read all of them yet, but I did look and see who all wrote me so I can thank them. Yeah, they are still from September 2, haven't gotten anything more recent...but that is okay :)
Thank you so much Aunt Deb, Katie Cutler, Drew Hooper, Father, Sister Peterson, Jeff Hales, Rachel, Cassy, Elder Mann, Katie, Thomas and Laura, Kasidy Jackson ( I wrote you a letter today by the way :), you will receive in Africa time....like 3 weeks hahaha), Rebecca, Moma! (Thank you for the talk as well, I enjoyed) Kristen (wrote you as well along with Rachel), Miranda (miranda, send me your address hahaha, everyone else was getting my letters but I guess they do not go to Canada :( so i will wait to send it to byu when I get your address) and Sister Peterson! Thank you so much everybody :) it always makes me so happy to see the office Elders come back and give me a giant stack of mail. It really is great to know that there are people thinking about you, especially when you are thinking about them :) so thank you so much everybody! you are all very sweet and I appreciate your letters SOOOO much!
Hahaha oh momma dearest :) Yeah, there were many opportunities that I had to score that I gave to other people, but it's okay, as long as we won right? :) I don't shoot very often, I like to try to keep both my feet on the ground as much as possible. but fortunately, my wounds are almost all healed up, but the one on my knee is taking time, since all week it has been getting stuck to my pants and been getting ripped up :) but, I pray it gets better. I was finally able to run for the first time today since the game last week, which was a really nice relief! The other Americans weren't at the game :) it was only me this time, I missed them very much!
I am SOOO glad that Grandad is doing good :) I said many earnest prayers this week and prayed to the Lord that I will be with my grandfather again before our short time on Earth is over :) so, I am glad that the Lord is helping answer my prayers and pray he will continue too! I love you very much Grandad and you amaze me with your strength and determination. There is no defeating you!:)
So about the mission homes. We are still in the same ole poop apartment haha, it gets worse everyday. Came back from church yesterday to find 4 separate rooms had multiple leaks in them :/ yes, on my bed, in the food, on the table, on some records :/ but we deal with it and press onward. No one wants to pay money to fix a place they are tearing down, but they just haven't found us a new home yet...but, when they tear down our place, they are building the new mission home there, so lucky whoever gets this new marvelous building they are planning :) mission presidents hahah got to love them.
Awwww man, bummer about the letter/money. I am sorry momma. Yeah, I can look again through the sleeves, but I don't think it is there. Wow, what punks. Everything else has been arriving fine though, or as far as I know what is in the package haha :) but, Lauren Byrd I love you my friend! I am sorry your letter did not make it, but I will try to write you a letter tonight and can't wait to hear from you again. I am really sorry and I miss you very much my besty!
Life without Elder Hales is rough...but, I am able to endure. I have to fix everything around the apartment now haha and string up the line for the clothes and what not like he taught me, so I will try to make him proud, I actually saw him shortly on the way here to the cafe :) Love that guy. But, its kinda lonely a lot of the time. Write in my journal by myself, write letters by myself, chill by myself. I just get to study LOTS of the scritpures and already finished the entire Liahona...but its all good :) and all the Reginas were somewhat related, but here in Africa, I never really know, and I have given up trying to tell. Every moma, even in the church, has 2 plus children, and never the same father, so I can never keep up with it all :/
The conference with Elder Satati was amazing! It was long and he talked for over 2 hours, but we all left edified. but, to be honest, I think the man has way to much doctrine stored up in his mind haha, he KNOWS so much! But, it was a really great conference and I enjoyed it soooo very much :) the best part was getting to see all my wonderful MTC mates. I got to see Elder Mcdonald, Elder Nwosu, Elder Hales, and Elder Edwards! AH, I felt like Alma when he saw the sons of Mosiah. They are all doing so well and it was great to reminisce with them. They all stayed in the assistant living room...which was turned into a barracks with 9 bunk beds fit into a room that before held a bed, a table, and two couches haha, so it was pretty crazy! but it got the job done :)
Thank you for mailing the letter momma :) but as far as need...I am doing okay. I need maybe some protein powder for a Christmas present or something hahaha....all we eat is rice rice rice and I have to starve myself from meals to stop from getting a super belly! like all my mtc buddies are getting belly haha, because all we eat is carbs all day everyday! ah, its crazy! needs...uh i love the lil propel packets :) those are sweet, and anything really...:) it is all so good. Maybe some like...idk...gum or something hahaha your so sweet momma I can't think right now for some reason, but that must mean that nothing is very dire at the moment. ;) ah so great to hear about Brennan! yeah he always has been hairy :) but, i will have to write him sometime soon. They have bandages for us in the apartment, but maybe you can send me some icy hot or something oh and MULTIVITAMINS! like workout ones or something...I'm almost out of the ones I brought :) yeah, well thank you momma sweetheart!
But, back to the week, of course, I got sick again. and was very weak for a couple days. I have been gyming very hard to try to stay fit, and I think it might be taking it out of me haha. I gym in the morning and at night, and usually average more then 400 crunchses a day, with tons of other workouts. So, I am taking it easy for now :)
Oh yeah, broke up a fight on Saturday night. We were walking home through the streets of Freetown and two guys were going at it, and me and my companion ran over and broke up the fight but gosh, they were going to kill each other, but I think when they saw a concerned white man come into it they backed down haha, because the muscles on that guy could have ripped me apart without me even putting up a fight haha :) but, maybe they felt the spirit we bring with us and decided to leave it alone...
We taught this one girl a couple times htis week, and she is 12 and can hardly understand us. Ah, it is hard to teach children haha, or at least it is hard since I have never done it like individually one on one before. But, we got the job done :) she is going to be baptized this Saturday, along with 2 other people, which I am SUPER excited about :)
I got to try multiple foods this week which was very nice. Had Cassava fruit, which is super yummy and really resembles a potatoes, which they throw in a plastic bag, throw some spices in, shake it up, tie it, and give to you hahaha oh yeah, its cholera waiting to happen. Also, got to try fufu, which was extrememly delicious...then made me run to the bathroom 3 times in the night...but i enjoyed ;) hahah, oh isn't africa great!?
Laura! They have lots of fruits here! We are supposed to buy them, put them in a dish, fill it with a water, bleach mix, and let it sit for a while, wash em off and then enjoy, but I don't do it with like bananas sometimes because they have the peel. But, we enjoy lots of fruits here, they are just super expensive. You can buy about 16 bananas for the equivalent of 1$ here, but mangos and apples are super expensive relative to that. They are about a dollar each, so we really don't get them. but, corn, apples, mangos, bananas, pears, pineapples, coconuts, all can be bought within 30 yards of our home, but we have to spend money wisely...like on a 50 pound bag of rice ;) that will last us a LONG time :)
But, this Sunday we will find out transfer news...and its sounds like I am training for sure. I asked Elder Ngerem how the process kinda works and he says usually the District Leader will recommend to zone leader who will recommend to assistant who will recommend to president...and the first 3 all already told me I am training...so who knows. whatever the Lord calls me to do I will do my very best...thats all I can do. I am really nervous, but I know that Christ has told me many things concerning that...such as
"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. amen "
"Be not afraid, only believe"
"fear not, believe only"
"Have faith in god"
These things always inspire me hahaha :) I am trying my best...a lot of people still don't completely understand me, but my peers almost all understand me, which is our largest teaching pool. I know the area, I know all the investigators, I know the places, I know most of the members now, I know how most things work, so I feel adequately prepared if that is what the Lord requires of me :) but, anything that comes, I will be grateful for and do my very best. Me, I don;t care for position...I just want to be a missionary. Plain and simple. Enjoy enjoy enjoy :)
The work isn't easy, especially with wounds and being sick and what not. we didn't have that many investigators at church on Sunday :/ but we are still pushing on and doing our very best and I know that the Lord is happy with our efforts. I think it is funny because something has changed in the past 12 weeks in the branch...I started counting attendance, and the first 6 weeks I think we were averaging about 30 for sacrament, and 40 for after sacrament...the last 3 weeks we have had 65 + people in sacrament!:) which makes me super excited because my 10 converts are super active and stil hanging strong. Ah, it makes me super excited. We are doing our absolute best, and I know that it is only by the hand of the Lord that we are able to do anything. The holy ghost leads us and guides us everywhere we go and everything we do and say, even if we don't always recognize it. I am working hard to try to recognize all of the prompting of the Holy Ghost and act on them, but I can only pray and do my very best everyday. I read my patriarchal blessing yesterday and it really inspired me! I have some great promises and blessings in there and it was a sweet and inspiring reminder to look at it again!
I really do know this work is true! I love this gospel. I love this church...The mission is hard and I miss home haahhaha but, this is my home now, and even the weird things are normal to me now. I love it here and know this is where the Lord has called me. Like stones in the river he will shape me and mold me into the person he wants me to become...as Elder Satati explained...to Become...we must
Desire something, decide, act, and the result of our actions is what we become. so when we act positively, we will become that positive reflection. I am doing all I can to do exactly that. I want so much to help all the people here...even adults, even the security guards ask me for food and money...but I am not allowed to give...and realistically I cannot give, which kills me...If i gave every impoverished child I saw in a day the lowest available currency I have, I would be broke in 3 days...It is so sad, and so hard, especially when they all tug on me and beg and what not and ahhh....it is one of the biggest trials I am suffering with...I am taught to give give give and not allowed to give. but, The gospel I give will bring eternal life..while the food I give will only sustain mortality. I guess it is the same as Jesus Christ and the woman at the well...The water we give, they will never thirst again....
Speaking of which, we went back to sis aminata this week, the woman that will not listen to me unless I speak Krio. I haven't seen her in like a month, but now she can understand everything I am trying to tell her, but she was SO stubborn now...and told us our church is nothing different then her own, and not her son, nor us, can ever get her to change...so it was the first lesson on my mission we had to end early...which was sad, but I just bore testimony and closed the lesson 3 minutes after we had started.She was starting to yell and get angry and that is not what we are about as missionaries...we have a happy message...but all is well :)
I love you all so much and I miss the heck out of you but I know this is where I must be and I will go and Do the Things the Lord commands. I hope you are all doing well friends and family, and you are all in my thoughts and prayers everynight :) love you all so much! please take care and be safe, and remember to always pray, your Father wants to hear from you :)
-Love,
Elder Jesse Sumrak
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