Merry Christmas 2012

Mother! wow, yes I can tell you are excited and so am I :) I can still
remember how amazing a Christmas it was when we sat around and talked
to Thomas for like 4 hours haha. I absolutely loved it so much and I
know this Christmas will be just as special. Ah, I can't wait family :)
I am glad you got all the phone stuff working! Well, my week...oh boy.
So my week was pretty tishing awesome, because my companion was ELDER
HALES! for the whole week :) my new companion did arrive, more on him
to come.
So, first I guess we'll start. My new companion: Elder Etuk, is from
Nigeria. He is a sweet guy, who looks like he could be 30. He is super
short and had a constant mustache that I tell him to shave everyday
and I think he shaves it and it's still there!  He is 24 years old...he is
really like kinda shy,  hahaha oh its fun...very fun.
Elder Hales :) I had THE BEST! time working with that guy. We had so
much fun just walking around and teaching lessons and just all of our
inside jokes. It really made missionary work fun x2 :) I love that
guy. we have so much fun speaking krio to each other and everyone
else, and ah, i miss him so much. almost cried when that guy left :/ I
have had so many companions these weeks hahaha, elder burton, elder
hales, brother solomon, and now elder etuk, boy!
Wow! you are such an amazing missionary mom, and kushayo on all the
house work! it really sounds super nice and i hope no trees hit it
before I get home ;) and mom I'm so proud of you. you're the best
missionary there ever was anyways, specially for the work you have
done in our home.
But...on to my week....
First: I got thiefed! yes, came home with Elder Hales to find someone
had stolen 50 of my dollars. It was strange because somebody came in,
stole only the 10s and not the 5 or 1? so now i have like 25 dollars,
but its okay...I learned a valuable lesson surprisingly. Somebody left
the door open to the parlor and were inside cooking when they heard
someone call elders, when they checked the door, nobody was there, so
they continued cooking...but its okay...I came home and noticed
within 5 mins and was so angry, and just wanted to find my money so
desperately, the whole night i was distressed about it and I could not
get it off my mind, i just wanted to catch that thief and pummel
him...but, before I went to bed, I prayed,...and I don't want to sound
all mushy mush missionary what not...but, i really learned something
from the Lord.  I prayed to God surprisingly not to find my money, but
that I would be content with the blessings he had given me, like how
they had left some money, and I prayed to love whoever stole the
money...and the sweetest feeling came over me and the holy ghost was
so so so incredibly strong, so i went and wrote about it in my journal
and i was just so happy and I couldn't understand it, and i really had
some revelation. I was always wondering...how can i get more charity?
God, I am trying so hard to get more charity, please help me...this
was my chance, and I am so glad that I didn't let it pass me by. And i
started thinking....to move closer to a christlike attribute, would i
pay 50 dollars? yes...I would pay EVERYTHING I have. So, that is
exactly what i did. I gave 50 dollars, and gained more charity and I
do not regret it one bit. YES, i have hid my money better now and we
have the compound and apartment on strict lockdown, BUT i am happy for
the many lessons the Lord has taught me :)
Oh, Elder Hales, just remembered how he bought the nerdiest pair of
glasses ever. they are like half rimmed glasses that are just GREAT
and look so stupid! In the middle of the lesson, the investigator will
ask a question, and Elder Hales will take out his glasses and put them
on and then answer haha oh gosh it is so great :)
Well, our apartment is surely building zion! we now have family meals
for dinner and lunch. we all chip in money together and then the chefs
in the house (nigerians) make a big thing of rice and stew, which we
all eat together, which is a first, and is super nice. we all come
together in the evening and sit down and have dinner together which i
really enjoy :) and it's nice not having to cook, and they enjoy
because they get to eat the food they want for cheap, and we all just
help with washing and what not.
We also go on district water runs usually every other morning, where
all 6 of us take our water buckets and gallons and go down a ways from
the apartment and fill our rubbers and take them all back up to the
apartment for bathing...washing...drinking..the water is straight from
a well and it is GROSS! it is yellow tinted, so we put bleach in it
before we use it for bathing but gosh you know I am getting some super
sweet worms and tish in my skin, no tishing doubt ;)
Had a mouse in our bedroom...Elder Hales and I made a trap for it but
it never went for the bait...2 nights later elder esiaba killed 3 rats
in a row...hope one of them was ours ;)
Orientation: So, the wonderful assistants invited Elder Hales and I to
orientation on Friday, to help usher in the new missionaries because
President/Sister roggia are in Liberia right now. SO, Elder Hales and
I went and helped for the entire day, helping the new guys understand
the rules/regulations, bearing testimony, just helping out in anyway
we could. took the 4 new guys all out to lunch and we all had a great
time! there were 3 nigerians and one guy, Elder Evans from Hawaii, who
reminded me of myself when I came, we had so much fun trying to ease
all his concerns :) oh, this mission is so sweet. it really did
rejuvenate my aging self seeing all the freshies and helping them with
all those things that I had forgotten even happened...seems like years
ago i was going through orientation haha, so it was so much fun to
help!
We had the Christmas program in the evening which was really sweet,
especially since we had 7 investigators attend,, which was awesome. we
sang lil drummer boy, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and the
primary sang Away in a Manger and tons of recent converts bore
testimony in between songs. it was a sweet sweet day and we all really
enjoyed the program :)
SO BAPTISM SATURDAY! we combined all 4 wards today for a very exciting
baptism with about 10 people being baptized. so sweet...well...um, the
water was very low, and came up to about the knee or mid thigh
ish...and was yellow/almost brown. so, the Belliar Park ward had a
member baptizing 4 young girls...but, he couldn't do it. they kept
messing up, so they called me into the water and  I had the girls sit
down on their butts and I crouched down low in the water and baptized
them. they were so scared but we got it all taken care of :) I ended
up baptizing 5 people that day haha and it was not easy! a couple
repeats were necessary because of the shallowness of the water, but
all in all everyone received the saving ordinance of baptism ;)
Had 11 investigators at church on Sunday which was just super
awesome!:) I was so happy to see so many people there, but gosh it is
stressful trying to talk to them all. they are all dragging me by the
hand, cutting each other off, pulling me in either direction, trying
to make appointments, and my new companion has no idea what is going
on...so i am left to do it all alone...but, i am learning patience. oh
boy am i learning patience.
Miracle of the week: Ellis/Zeezrom...
So, on Tuesday I went to go and visit one of my investigators Ellis
and his friend Sullayman, and go over the baptismal interview
questions with them. these guys have made a ton of changes in their
life and really want to be baptized, but came to find out while
reviewing that they had both broken the word of wisdom this past
weekend...So, I asked Ellis how he felt about that, and he was like no
problem, I just forgot, that's all. And I told him I know he didn't
forget, and don't try to play dumb, the Lord is a lot smarter then
that, and he just tried to play it off...oh boy did he get it....
came back Wednesday evening to find both boys sick in bed with fevers,
and Ellis had typhoid and malaria...Ellis was laying there and shaking
with his eyes closed. I came in and sat next to his bed and talked to
him for a while, and explained that the Lord may be trying him, and
this was his opportunity to prove his faith. he said I got faith I got
faith, i just don't want to die man. So, Elder Hales and I gave him a
blessing and then stayed with him while the doctor visited and
injected him with drip...
We returned the following evening to find him doing a little better,
and we talked for a little bit and left..
Came back Saturday night and he was dying again. laying there shaking
and crying and just dying and I sat down and read to him the story
from Alma about where Alma and Amulek heal Zeezrom, except we acted it
out and everything ..just like in the story where Alma grabs his hand
and asks him if he has faith to be healed and he says yes...
Came back last night and the boy wasn't even home! his mom said he
woke up and was feeling amazing and went off running down the street.
he came in during our lesson with Sullayman and was like Elder Sumrak,
I get faith! I get faith! and I want to be baptized! hahaha oh the
Lord and his miracles...:) This gospel is so amazing. and I know the
Lord is watching after his righteous children, even when they turn
their backs on him...he always has his arms of mercy extended...
Elder Etuk is coming along...I took him to a chop shop his first day
and got him to eat krin krin, which he hated haah. its funny how
reluctant africans are to try new foods. it was a lot easier for me to try
these foods then for them, which I don't really understand. it's not
just my companion but all the nigerians say they don't eat cassave
leaf or krin krin, and some have been here for a year! Geeze!
Well, everyone...I love yo so so so so much!:) I love this gospel and I
know this church and gospel is true! thank you for all your love and
support and I wish you a merry merry christmas...not much celebrations
for us here...I went to the market today and bought everyone in my
apartment long colorful soccer socks...hope they enjoy...I'll wrap it
in ensign paper ;) love you all! Merry Christmas!
-=Love, Elder Jesse Sumrak!