Transfer to Bo!!

Well I will tell you more about transfers and all that soon, but
I'll just work right down your e-mail first :) They are going to the
post office today because I want my camera before I leave tomorrow but
we are going to see what happens I guess, but I am patient as well,
just unfortunately didn't get to take much pictures of the area before
I left...but it will always be in my heart ;)

And gosh, this year is just flying by already! And no! no signs of
rain or anything, just dry dusty dusty dust. Shouldn't even rain they
said until like May...and then its all rain in July, but not sure yet
if I am looking forward to that or not haha, but nevertheless, it will
be my last rainy season in Sierra Leone, so I will make the best of
it. The sun sets close to 8 PM or so, so we always try to be back in the
apartment by like 7:30 because the roads get a little crazy at
night...well they are always crazy but you know what I mean.

Also would love to mention the privilege it is today to be e-mailing
inside the mission office. Yes, I am honored to have fast internet and
no viruses and air conditioning. Today I am SPOILED! but, it's very
nice :) Here with former assistant Elder Barth, he is my companion for
the day and we have been enjoying so much haha

Wow! the Smithfield branch sounds awesome and that is so cool that you
took the sister missionaries out for dinner. You guys are so sweet. Ah, I miss
Anna's...I was just talking to Elder Barth today about our usual Sunday
meals which often included reheated Anna's pizza which was always so
much better when you cooked it back up in the oven. ah so good! great
that they are experiencing some success and I hope the branch
continues to grow and grow :)

Ah, that writing thing Thomas is doing sounds so cool. That is good
money for reals! I was doing it a little bit before but just on some
little sites and everything, but to get a legit job getting payed a
lot for it would be really nice. I would love to do that when I get
home, especially with the world cup and everything going on because
then I could meet my own schedule and everything and gosh I just love
writing so that would be super sweet. What type of articles is it?
Like stories or reviews or what? creative informational
advertisements?

Aww Quinn...can't wait to get her letters, I love her so much! and
your time is about over as seminary teacher momma. What, has it been
like 5 consecutive years now, with the previous 3 before? or 4? geeze
you seminary woman, no wonder you understand the gospel so well now!:)

Well...as for the exciting news...I am BEING TRANSFERRED! Finally! I
am leaving tomorrow morning very early and riding 3-5 hours with the
Humanitarian couple, Elder and Sister Burns, to travel to Mesima
Branch, Bo. Ah, so exciting! We are going to be stopping at many
villages along the way to check on the well waters and everything and
ah its going to be so much fun :) only downside is that I am only
going to be able to receive and send mail like once every 4-6 weeks or
so :/ but, thats okay. my turn to suffer that aspect I guess haha.
also, probably won't have as much time to email because the internet
cafes there aren't as good, so expect shorter emails unfortunately.
But, ah BO! so sweet! Its very bush they say, and very villagey, and
you ride motorcycle for transport everywhere. Fruit is super cheap,
everyone speaks Mendes, and very little English, and everyone loves
the gospel. Free Meals are daily and expected and gosh its going to be so
cool. I am going to be companions with Elder Jones, who is another one
of Elder Barth's Children, which is funny because I was with his first
child Elder Ngerem hahaah, I am going to be in the sweetest zone in
the world, which includes wonderful Elder Hales, Elder Ngerem, Elder
Barth, Elder Weller(mtc) and Elder Symons (my first apartment) ah so
excited! I will have more news about Bo and everything after I arrive
there of course, but hopefully my next email will be full of bright
news!

Ah, it's been hard to leave this wonderful Mount Aureol ward, and I am
going to miss it so much...almost 8 months here, and so many wonderful
converts and friends and everybody. Ah, I love them so much. Almost
cried saying goodbye to everyone and everything at church
yesterday...but, I will see them again one day, and if not, I am going
to meet new wonderful people wherever I go. Elder Etuk will be
receiving Elder Rochester, an old missionary who will be ending his
mission in April, so the ward isn't too excited to receive a
potentially "trunky" elder, but they will get over it hahah :)

Well, this past week has been very very exciting and I have enjoyed
very much. Saying goodbye to everyone and teaching many people who
will be baptized Saturday :( sad that I am going to miss that but I got
them to sign my journal and give me pictures so at least I will have
that.

Well, met a a sweet rasta man this week on the road buying phone
credit from my boy Eddie Bangura, and we were talking for quite
sometime and he showed me to the building where he has a radio
station. 104.5 rasta radio. It just plays like Bob Marley and all that
wonderful stuff and he was telling me about their message so I told
him about ours and he was so excited and told us he loved us and he
wanted us to come visit his rasta church one time, which we uh,
assured him we would have to do sometime ;) and then he invited us to
have a one hour block on the radio next week to just talk about our
message and our church and share it with all of Sierra Leone and
Liberia...hahaha oh boy. he told us it usually costs 200,000 for an
hour block but he loves our message and he will do it for free. I told
him we would love to, so maybe Elder Etuk will get an opportunity with
that ;) who knows!

My farewell Sunday yesterday was very nice. I got to bare my testimony
(on testimony Sunday) and say goodbye to eveyrone, and had a solid 13
investigators in church again, so I am excited that my companion will
stay very busy after I leave. I hope Mesima has lots of investigators
and I can get straight to work tomorrow afternoon, super excited :)

Well, my diet for the past two weeks has been pretty uh, unique. I eat
1 cup of oatmeal everyday, then an apple snack, then about 2 mangos
and a protein bar for lunch, then a coconut on the road, about 2 more
apples and a mango, and then for dinner I have a piece of bread with
the peanut butter spreads you sent me mama...so that has resulted
in...10 lbs lost! hahaha what!?!?!?!? well that and the fact that
every morning I do sprints in the compound and sprints up the stairs,
30 mins morning, 30  mins evening time. oh boy, definitely been eating
more since I got on that scale.

Today was a lot of fun! we woke up and did our cleaning and studies
and then we went to the church compound and played some football for
the first time in months which was so much fun! I played very well for
someone who has not played in 2 and a half months, which made me very
happy since I was worried I was going to lose everything slowly. But,
I got it still. :) but, of course I feel like usual. Can't play
football here without some bleeding you know! so, then Elder Etuk went
with Elder Aluka, and I went up into the office and took dear Elder
Barth to be my companion for the day :) we went to town and had such a
good time in the wood market and everything. Now, we are here in the
office and enjoying e-mail!:) so nice!

Well, I hope next week will be more exciting and I will have more to
talk about. I love everyone so much and I miss you all like crazy!
This mission is so sweet and I am so lucky to be here and I can't wait
to see Bo and tell you all about it. I really had a sweet experience
with my studies today in which I was reading the New Testament manual,
and came to find out more of who I was before I came to Earth, and who
I will be in the future...I love this gospel for the assurance it
gives me and the wonderful testimony I have that it is true :) Take
care everyone! love and enjoy the gospel! it's the only thing that will
save you in the end!

-Love,
Elder Jesse Sumrak