New Companion

Momma! it is so good to hear from you and to hear that you got my
letter! I was so worried because I know how you worry ahaha ;) that is
why I asked Sister Roggia to do that for me and she is so sweet to go
and do that. I am very very grateful for her! geez, it is fun being district
leaders companion. or was...or actually still is ;) dun dun dun. but,
thank you for sending all of the packages   I will make
sure that everyone enjoys. I shared all the food pretty much last
night and this morning since transfers were going on and there were
many hungry elders. I gave away all of it but the peanut butter pretty
much because nobody had food and we are out of subsistence and it was
sunday haha :/ combined equals no food!

I am glad to hear that dear grandfather is on the mend, and is up and
kicking. There is nothing that can stop him :) I sent them both a
letter last week so I hope it gets there soon! I sent 12 letters last
week! Talk about carpal tunnel forreals haha, my hand hurt so bad!
but, on to the tranfers news...

I am not training! Which I am kinda relieved and kinda bummed about.
My companion is leaving to go to Bo to be zone leader, and I received
one of his MTC mates, Elder Burton to my area. He is a giant 6 foot
something Elder who is cool as tish. I have only known him for the
past 3 hours haha but he is a super awesome guy and I am super excited
to work with him. Two white guys...off to work hahaha...at least I
have someone I can talk to now who will talk to me...can't wait to
show him all of the area! It is a lot of change though and it is kinda
overwhelming, but it will be okay. I am really excited for some change
though :)

I am sorry to hear you guys were sick :/ but I'm glad to hear you are
doing better! I pray for your health safety and happiness everynight so
maybe I was unrighteous durin the week ;) But, i love you and hope you
all continue in health, and father as well... hahaha I don't think
there is really anything I need from Utah...well actually I have a
library I would like to start building ummm but that is for when I get
home...but i will talk more about that later...

Thank you sososoososososo much for the dear elders and letters my
wonderful friends and family :) Mr. Whitley ( i wrote you a letter :)
), Missie Babb, Ruthie, patrick wilda or should I say Pweezy Baby (
you will never know how accurate your letter was...but I try my best
never to do so ;) ), aunt deb, katie cutler, cassy, drew, soccer
momma! printed out fine momma dearest!, Rachel (How do they know ghost
in the graveyard!?), Moma, dad, ( your letter didn't finish
father...but i love you) and the amazing Thomas and Laura! Thank you
all so much family and friends! I amp out letters as fast and as well
as I can every monday.I will continue to do my very very best.

But, on to the week yeah!!! Well, in your next box momma, Tums would
be great! Those ones you sent really saved me this week haha! My
companion was making some really spicy food so i was having to pop two
of those both morning and night. He likes to put peppay in it, which
is super spicy haahaha but the people here like to put it in
everything! like all food and even drinks! So, funny story, We eat
groundnut soup at a members and geese it was spicy, so she offered us
some drink, ginger beer! which we gratefully accepted...but, I didn't
know that they put ginger and peppay in it...yeah, so it is freezing
cold, so i just start drinking it from the plastic wrapper like
crazy...to then find out my mouth was 4x times as hot, and my lips
were starting to swell up and I was sweating an ahh it was painful
haha but oh what an experience...especially when I had to finish it so
not to offend our wonderful hostess....oh the mission :)

We had power like...20 % of the time this week, so no fans any of
these nights or nothing, and lots of gyming in the dark, but it has
gone okay. no problems!

Taught this one family, with this one sister who is apparently high up
in another church, and we asked her to say a prayer at the end and gosh it
lasted for like 10 minutes and she was just like singing "in the
mighty name of JESUS" and it went on
forever and ever but, she is slowly coming around to the gospel, but
we will do our very best :) the Lord is the one doing the work, I am
just the instrument haha. Just like who does the work, the shovel, or
the digger?

The apartment has not been torn down...but, the wrecking crew showed
up saturday morning and were ready to tear the place down, to which we
told them No No, we are still living inside haha, to which they
were not very happy about. But, we will see how that goes...lots of
Elders coming to the mission. 12 news ones. lots of new areas opening
and lots of craziness going on, but it is all very exciting watching
the progress in this country, and being such a big part in it. It is
truly inspiring :) the Lord's work is moving, and everybody prepare
for the 2nd coming, because if its spread all over this country, it
will spread over all the other ones soon enough!

Interesting event, our taxi had to push another taxi up a hill the
other day, yeah...so what, made a giant dent in the back, but if you
need a push you need a push. so we pushed their car for like a whole
mile and yeah...trashed that car hahah :)

We had 2 conversions on saturday! which was pretty awesome :) I got to
baptize Susan Penikia, and Thomas Burima! it was a very special
baptism and the spirit was so strong. Susan is such a sweet lil girl!
she is only 12, and has no family in the church.- all alone. We were
teaching an old lady, Sis mary, the one we baptized 2 weeks ago, and
we saw her (Susan) listening in on the lesson, so we invited her to church.
Her mom let her come and she came with sis mary. she has come to
church every sunday since and bore powerful testimony after her
baptism. it was so sweet!:)

Yeah, speaking of which...hymns here are crazy!
The piano is NEVER in sync with the singing. Like seriously, it is
always ahead or behind, yet everyone just keeps singing and gosh it
gives me a righteous headache even trying to sing to that craziness,
but they all love it and just scream their heads off...its just
screaming hahahaha...oh boy you got to love africa...tia...tia...

I had a pretty intense week of workouts forreals this week. Two
workouts a day, sprints in the morning 200 pushups, then at night 150
bench, with 400 crunches and geeze it has been pretty awesome. I am in
good form still, just trying to keep that rice off the belly haha, can
only do that with good ole hard work, just as long as I don't work
myself to sickness. We have had like no food this week haha, we have
eaten oatmeal for like almost all of our meals. that and rice with
small small flavorings. but, we enjoy/endure/love it yeah!

Laura! in response to your postcard! I see monkeys about every other
day, but more on a leash than in the trees. My apartment is in the
city, and my proselyting area is on the mountain, in an area cleared
for farming, so not many trees...but whenever we go into the bush then
you see lots of monkeys...and you ALWAYS hear monkeys...but seeing em
is something different indeed. no Merkats though...sorry...I think
that is off the island of freetown. Not much wild life here...except
for giant spiders, mosquitos, and ants that are finding their way into
my bed...oh boy...

Thomas, your running sounds so sporadic haha, new shoes, 5 finger
shoes, bare foot, whatever you can do man. you are always inspiring
though! I am doing my best to keep running here so that when I get
home I can go straight onto at least a 3-5 mile run...and always be
able to do 500 + crunches...as long as I can do that, i consider
myself fit...ish :)

yeah...also, fun side note. before the baptism, i looked at Thomas Burima's
shoes as he approached the font...yeah, he was wearing bowling shoes
hahah...oh you got to love it. nothing is wasted in this country.
absolutely nothing...I believe some people cook grass for foods sake
haha :) whatever works I guess..

My companion was a former crazy pastor in a church. This does
not mean stand up sermon, this is the yelling and shouting and
screaming around the stage...which has spread to Nigeria. You can hear
it everywhere everywhere everywhere and see signs and stuff for it on
every street sign/corner/house and geeze...apostasy is everywhere.
Screaming pastors and the whole lot makes it all very interesting, but
suprisingly opens the doors for our gospel in a strange
way...----everyone here has religion...some form. I have not met an
atheist and have not met anyone that just flat out does not attend
church/mosque. The muslims are prepared to hear the gospel in more
ways than one (latter day prophet? Special book? revelation?) muslims
aren't surprised to hear  some of the things we have to say. Some can't read, but
they "know" the bible. So, these people are very hard to teach...they
want miracles...they want signs...oh, Jesus Christ would have some
fierce chastisement for these people, but we do our best to help them
:)

So, Mr. Whitley, I got your dear elder today, and I felt inspired to
tell you about some of the political chaos going on here...well first,
there was a giant fire started yesterday in some form of protest. We
can hear riots here and parades and such outside almost every other
day, and I have saw large crowds gathering, full of all african
craziness a number of times. Fortunately, we have always been
conveniently and coincidentally inside and out of the way. Dozens of
cars will fly by with people all wearing the same color screaming and
banging on everything and ahhh, its craziness. We had to delay our
baptisms for 5 plus mintures while they stood in the water waiting for
reverence to return from the craziness going on outside the walls. ah
:) its scary exciting.

Whenever they play the national anthem, which is like 2 or 3 times a
day, everyone hearing it must stop and salute the flag...so, Elder
Ngerem and I were walking through the town the other day in front of
the President's office, not knowing the song was playing, and people
were yelling, "stop stop stop! they will shoot you!", so upon
realizing they were talking to us, we immediately stopped haha, I
don't know if they really would have shot us...but, rather not tempt
fate haha :) also, whenever the president's car leaves his office to
go home...the whole city stops. traffic stops and pulls over, and many
many of the citzens stop wherever they are, to wait as the large parade
of cars surrounding the president's hummer come barreling down the
road, sirens blarring. it can stop traffic for up to 15 mintues. ah
pure  craziness...but maybe necessary...who knows.

This week has been a very spiritual testimony building intense study
week...We had district study last sunday night, and talked
doctrine and also talked about best ways to explain FAQs. We had
doctrine talk on tuesday night, and talked deep doctrine on whatever
subject we want, using the scriptures, manuals, and Elder Ekpos
journal which incorporates many many doctrinal study guides...I
learned so so so many things. Things that have changed my life. Things
that have changed the way I think.
So everyday, now I spend hours at night, pondering over
doctrine and covenants, studying the manuals, and geeze, the stuff I
am finding is awesome! It's so awesome and I enjoy it very
much,,,but it honestly exhausts my mind, because I never stop thinking
about these things. takes awhile to fall asleep, think about it while
gyming, while traveling, even dreaming. it is intense...but, there is
so many things I would like to study that I am not able to study on my
mission, because I really just need to be focusing on the basics right
now, but I really need to satisfy my appetite and my questions to ever
focus, so my search will continue in my approved library for now :)
but, I was wondering if you could use some of my funds from my bank
account to pick me up some books in utah for the future. or dad you
may already have them...but i want to build my own library....

Like:Doctrine of Salvation, History of the Church, Church history and
Modern Revelation, Mormon Doctrine, Teachings, and Joseph Smith
manual...AH it is so crazy :) but, if you can't get them or they are
expensive no problem! i got a while until i get home ;)

I love you all so very much and know that this gospel is true! it is
true true true.Jesus Christ loves us. we are his joy, and we may have
joy in that we are his joy. none of us will be lost...so come unto
christ and receive his joy. He has taught us so many things, and he
truly loves us...Abide in him, that he may abide in you. Keep all the
commandments, not just some...I love you all more then I can ever tell
you, more than I can even comprehend...I miss the tish out of all you,
but I am constantly trying to perfect myself, and I hope I am a very
different person when I return home...farewell family and friends, I
love you :)

Oh yeah -----John 16:22------ that is me....hahaha

-Love, Elder Jesse Sumrak
your son, friend, crazy guy...