Elder Sumrak's responses to several questions from MOM:
Oh, and Moma, yes it is too hot to wear a hoodie most of the time, but
we are having them made for home, and apparently he can make them in a day.
not many babies in church, about 11 attending primary, kids everywhere
everyday just like to give us high fives or yell at us obnoxiously
until we are out of sight...like White man White man White
man...doesn't matter if you respond...they won't stop hahaha :)
And I am sharing teaching in church. I have talked once and taught Elders
Quorum twice, but there are PLENTY of Melchezidek priesthood holders
to do it, so I told them that I would be giving everyone else an
opportunity to teach...I teach 30 + lessons a week...it is somebody elses
turn on Sundays ;)
Elder Sumrak's Letter
Sso, first off, thank you everybody for the many dear elders I received
this week. It was really pleasant to receive so many, and it was very
very enjoyable :) So a thank you thank you to aunt deb, katie, cassy,
Bekki Brau (wrote you a letter) Jenalyn Thiriot, sis peterson,
gabriella (wrote you cuz) dad, rebecca (wrote you cuz, thanks for
letting me use your address as my utah mail address ;) ), momma
dearest, thomas and laura (thank you for the postcard Laura, you are
so sweet, Drew, aunt deb, katie, rachel (wrote you my cousin),
Jenalyn, Mommmaaa, Papa, ah thank you so much everyone. I was truly
spoiled this week by all of you writing me and yeah...I'm a pretty
lucky person and I love you all!
Mommmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaa! how are you doing mom? I miss you
lots and lots! I got your box this week which was pretty awesome!:)
you are so sweet momma. already starting taking the meds and vitamins
and even had some protein today! so thank you so very very much :)
Elder Burton and I are staying healthy and enjoying the protein bars.
So the protein bars are our favorite, so we love those! boku boku!
but, as far as other food goes, i really do not need anymore haha! we
get plenty subsistence so its just really nice to have snack food like
protein bars, but now I have 4 jars of pnut butter and I just can't
get through the food quick enough haha, so maybe no more food till
Christmas momma dearest ;) but, you are so sweet! we enjoy and love
the boxes so much! especially the pictures of everyone ah I love them.
And the gum is super awesome since its kinda expensive here. but thank
you lots mommma, the propel packets are awesome as well. You are the
sweetest and thank you. you spoil me like crazy...but, my companion
isn't complaining ;)
Well....another great week in beautiful hot smelly Sierra Leone! Lots
and lots of fun stuff this week!
Well, we started the week and ended the week with lots of CHAPEL
HUNTING. mission president and district president said a chapel must
be found, so Elder Burton and I cut out a full 2 days of proselyting
to walk the most busy streets of Freetown, asking every building if we
could use any place in their house on Sunday for
service...everywhere....everyone. Apartments, colleges, schools,
houses, compounds, talking to at least 50 people a day, making phone
calls, meeting people at their apartments to talk availabilities...so
exhausting...so unproductive hahaha...we only found one possibility
after 15 hours plus walking around looking for a building...not even a
nice one. just a room big enough for 100 people to sit and talk...but
not much luck, but we will see if our contact calls today ;) but, let
me slightly boast, but not in myself, the Lord of course, that even
after our shift of priorities, Elder Burton and I still dominated the
entire district with lessons taught this week...idk how, but the Lord
still wants his work to go forward as well as his chapels, so he truly
blessed us with small bounces and great opporunities this week.
Also, got to go on exchange (to my area of course) with Zone leader
Esiaba this week, which was really sweet! We got tons of FMs and had a
great time with each other. he is a nigerian as well, but...a humble
one ;)
Well...for some depressing but exciting news...this week the
assistants bought two live chickens and called Elder Burton and I
over...so we took the chickens out back, dug a hole, cut their heads
off...(which was pretty hilarious since Elder Appleby had to work up
the nerve for a whole 5 minutes because we didn't have a big knife,
just a half dull one, so no big chop off the head...but a quick sawing
rather) but we killed them, then plucked off all the feather...took
all the guts out, yeah fun stuff. new for me. but kinda exciting and
gross at the same time.
Then, last night we went over to the assitance becasue they have an
electric oven and we put the chicken inside...yeah, we were super
hungry, so after an hour we took it out, the meat was white, and we
ate it...but, it was not finished cooking and we realized parts of it
were still raw...but, I was so hungry that I just ate my part anyways,
oh man we were afraid of Salmonella but who cares! well, to add to the
disgustingness of the night, Elder Burton then put his portion on a
plate...but, accidently dropped the plate and the chicken went on the
dirty floor and some in the trash can....but, we are hungry guys...so
we picked it all out and fried the bits...but, fried them too much and
it tasted like tish...yuck! but we finished it hahahah
To further add to the grossness, we were still really hungry, so went
home and poured ourselves a bowl of cereal, to discover at least 50
ants swimming in each of our bowls...do not judge us....we were
hungry...so we ate all of it still....ummmmyeah we're pathetic...
So to continue, we were still hungry, and ate wet bread with half
spoiled scrambled eggs to top off our night...so, we feel great now.
hope we don't drop dead in the middle of the day...but gosh, as bad as
it sounds, we had such a good time haha, yeah we're crazy, but we were
just laughing our heads off the whole time about the complete gross
indecent situations we had found ourselves in. Oh, Sa Lone
mission...truly amazing...truly truly.
Well, Elder Burton also showed me how to make ground nut soup this
week. Which is super good and is a must make when I get home for you
guys. You will love it...but, of course we are going to need some rice
for it ;), also, is there any africans markets near the house momma. I
doubt it...but, i could make us some yummy yummy stuff if there is ;)
Well...something that Elder Burton and I find hilarious is the
terrible grammer and mispellings and everything on all the packages
and labels here. I love drinking powder milk that says it is good for
you child and will help them grow the strongest of them
all....really...who the tish let that person label things?
really...hahah :) but, its quite entertaining, so I don't complain.
also, random fact, love the missionary lego dude you sent me mom haha :)
But, on to the amazing baptisms we had on Saturday. 4 awesome people
were baptized and I got the special opportunity to baptize Ruth Momie
James Meaton James Williams (MJ), David Abubakarr
Mansaray, and Salematu Kamara (a small girl who has no records about
her date of birth or anything but everyone says that she thinks she is
9...they think....)
So, I got to baptize the first 3 and Elder Burton baptized Salematu
and ah it was so great. We had 10 baptisms with the other branches
included with us and it was just such a special day and I felt the
spirit so strongly :) everyone is so strong and all showed up for
their confirmation and ah :) I love this work. MJ's testimony really
touched me and almost made me cry and made me realize how important
this work is...and how sacred my responsibility is...and helped me
really know how much of a difference I make. He got up and was like I
want to thank the Elders for helping me get where I am today...and
especially Elder Sumrak...because I didn't want to listen to what they
had to say, and I kept making excuses so I wouldn't have to see them,
but he showed me a scripture in the book of mormon...and it has
changed my life....
...I know the book of mormon is true and I love it with all my heart.
I know the power that the book has because it personally was what
converted me...I tell it here and I will tell it now. I have always
gone to church. I have always thought it might be true. I always knew
that if a church was true, it was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints...but, I didn't even gain my true complete and unending but
ever growing testimony until I finished the book of mormon in
February...I know the book is true. I know it can change lives and I
will share it with everyone :) I love this gospel. Its not easy, even
for a missionary sometimes (or maybe its just me) but, if we just open
our mouths, we can change lives...even when we don't mean to...even
when we think it is impossible...the book of mormon can make it
possible, because the book of mormon did it for me. :)
Also, Kalo Kalo (not serious) bobo (boy) abdulrahman! we have been
teaching this boy everything and he is 16, looks like he is 20 and is
super ripped. we went to him the other day and were like so
Abdulrahman...have you been keeping the commandments or transgressing
them...to which he answered smiling "both". to which I couldn't help
but laugh for a good 30 seconds and tell him that that was not quite
possible, and...then he came to church yesterday for the first time in
like 8 weeks! :) so, I was super excited but ah...some people...I love
these people, they are hilarious!
So, Sundays are super stressful usually for me...which I don't like
because they are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable...before
sacrament I am usually running around helping prepare things. as soon
as Sacrament ends, oh geeze, all tish breaks loose. Things to be done:
1. Run and secure a room before another branch takes it
2. grab the gospel principle books from the office
3. start stealing chairs for the investigators class
4. find the teacher
5. find the chalk
6. find the eraser
7. start assigning branch missionaries to each investigator in the
room before they get lost in the crowd and end up 1. leaving because
they are confused, 2. stressed. 3. or in another branches investigators
class hahahaha
8. meet all the contacts and referrals
9. fight off any kids who try to eat the sacrament bread
10. try not to pass out
11. get everyone in the halls out and into classes
12. break up fights in Primary
all in some random order hahah oh gosh but, I love it so much, and its
so worth it :) it is funny because Elder Burton and I will talk and be
like oh my gosh church today is long, hot boring, why would our
investigators ever want to come back and there they are telling us
they love the service, they love the lessons, they love the atmosphere
:) which I can only give credit to the Holy Ghost (which is
hard with how noisy that building is) but it really is the power to
conversion. It doesn't matter what we do...it doesn't matter what we
say...all that matters is how they feel :) and I know that is
true...but its nice to do our part as well to make that possible for
them hahaha! oh church...
Yesterday was branch conference, which was really nice since all of
the District Auxillary leaders were present, chastising everyone, and
hopefully we will see some changes soon. but, the district president
promised if we do our part, mount aureol will split in less then a
year, the stake will come soon, along with a separate district, and
Treeplanting will get its own home group :) so we are doing all we can
to make sure these promised are fulfilled. ah! work work. we love it
:)
These weeks are going by WAY too fast. I don't want to leave Elder
Burton. We are having such a successful companionship together and I
wouldn't mind staying with him the rest of my mission haha. we get
along great together. Cook together, workout together, its really cool.
We have the same appetite, same concerns (well, sorta haha well he is
doing well at least, his girlfriend and him will be celebrating their
4 year anniversary on October 31, so haha congratulations to him!) we
both love to gym, which is great to have someone to push you and
compete with as well, but he is a big guy. about 6:4, 200 pounds. he
can lift some heavy stuff, a lot more then me at least, but I can rep
it out at least :) nobody can do crunches as much as me here, so I got
that and Pushups on everyone haha :)
So, Africans, no matter how ripped they look, are WEAK! Our branch
missionaries were bragging today and came into the gym and these guys
are pretty jacked looking. big defined arms, 6 packs and all and they
come in here bragging to us...we DESTROYED THEM. Saidu was able to do
15 on the bench that I repped about 35 on. then smoked another boy
Daniel in some pushups. crunches...nobody competed ;) (nobody ever
does crunches with me :( ) haha Apparently, Elder Burton said that
Elder Weller (not a strong guy at all) arm wrestled a GIANT african
guy and killed him 3 times back in Kenema haha . it is so true... :)
they are like "ah...I'm sore from gyming this morning."
"how much you gym"
"well, I did like 15 pushups"
"oh, well how many times?"
"Huh?"
"how many times you do 15?"
"once"
"...."
Oh you just got to love it :)
I am so happy to be serving on a mission in Sierra Leone. It isn't
easy, but I'm glad it isn't because then I would have no reason to
grow. But, as Elder Burton and I joked last night as we ate a bowl of
ants...what will ever faze us again after this? nothing! so, we are
truly happy and enjoying and the field is a little too white with rice
to harvest..but, we are doing our best. we are putting on the armor of
righteousness! We have sacrificed a lot to be here...but, it is worth
it to do the Lord's great work, ad I will never regret it, even for a
second. Phillipians 4:13-14 (I think) I read this morning...I really
enjoyed it and it is like my motto right now. Keep your eye on the
prize, don't look back, but keeping reaching forward. I love all of
you so much and know this gospel is true. It has blessed my life and
the lives of so many people here and will continue to do so forever!
Take care everyone, family friends and loved ones.
-Love,
Elder Jesse Sumrak
(me na Sa Lone bobo)
(Lef for do bad)
(Me no sey Daddy God dey)
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