A Little Late!

So great to be able to write to you, all the cafes closed
yesterday so now we are able to email today. Bo is going through a
shortage of everything...no internet, and no FUEL! and fuel runs
everything. No fuel has come, so bikemen are charging 3x as much, and
everything reallys costs more when gas prices go up here
hahaha...because everyone uses generators and tish to run their
stores, so no fuel equals boku money prices, which equals hungry
missionaries...but, whatever :)

Funny that you mentioned about living simply mother because Elder
Weller and I were just discussing that yesterday. We were talking
about how blessed we are to experience this now so that it times of
apocolaypse and what not we will not suffer. we know how to live with
limited food. we know how to live without gas. We know how to live
without water. We know how to live without electricity, so it's a
blessing and a curse. A little affliction though painful at present
will bless us one day :) Though, we really would just much rather have
all those blessings now and not suffer haha, but such is life!

WOW! that is so awesome to hear about Saidu :) He is going to have
such a great time. please give him my email address mother, I would
love to talk to him. he is such a great guy. just sent him a letter
today actually which has my old camera for him :) so he can enjoy that
on his mission experience. Atta boy!

Congratulations Ashley Cortez, but I must
say you deserve to have won :) but, still you are amazing, kushey!
Got an awesome
letter from kendall yesterday which had me super excited. love that
guy! Aw I miss the cortez family so much too...lots of good memories
with them, just like my 2nd family...can't wait to see them again and
I pray they are all doing well!

For some reason I have a strange longing for pig feast haha, maybe I
will get to enjoy it again one day and be one of the alumni there and
get me some good ol barbeque and enjoy them good ol country tunes...oh
boy, why can I actually see that? I'm scared haha

Wow, do I miss the temple, so I hope you all enjoyed very much. All of
us missionaries miss it so much. We have all really come to understand
more the blessings of the temple, and the sweet peaceful presence of
the spirit that the temple offers those seeking refuge from the
ongoing battle of the world. I am starting more and more to understand
the covenants I have made and as I do my longing to return to the
temple grows...one of the first places I want to go when I return home
:)

haha, oh rain, we have gotten very small this week...until last night,
when I woke up at 12:00 to torrential rain and winds and rain flying
through the window  and splashing me in my bed, I ran quickly outside
to find Elder Penia and Elder Hovley scrambling to try and save the
clothes that were flying around haha so I aided them and we all
got soaking wet and then returned to bed...woke in the morning to find
half of my clothes covered in mud, so yay, I get to redo those
tonight :/ but, no bad, the Lord has a purpose for everything so I
will cheerfully endure haha :) but, left the windows open, the wet
rain was much better than wet sweat, so I will take the switch haha

But, so great to hear about all the missionaries, I am so proud of
rachel and tori and nick and clayton, we are going to have such an
amazing force of missionaries, and its sad to think that the family
will never be fully reunited again, but its a blessing to know our
separation is for such a great cause, we will continue to go out to
all the corners of the world. Congratulations cousins, don't give up.
Just talked today in district meeting about the blessings that will
come, the ones we don't see, and the trials we must suffer to achieve
them...but, rest assured the promise will be fulfilled and we will
receive the await blessings. Scriptures of encouragement off the top
of my head that I hope are semi accurate. Romans 8:18, DC 58:4, DC
121:12-17, hope those are right :)

Well, this week, uh yesterday I lost my planner which was pretty sad
and I almost cried because some much memories and important tish is in
there, but I sucked it up...bought an apple, and went on my way. makes
the work a little difficult without my phone numbers and everything I
need, but, the Lord has a purpose for everything so no problem!

Another week of mangos and pineapples has passed away haha, all the
Elders in the apartments diets look like this for dinner....mangos,
pineapples, top ramen, well all of those except the ramen for me :)
hahaha not for me! but, we eat like 4 mangos each a night and all
enjoy giant pinapples everynight, ah, so good!:) we enjoy haha

Well, on Saturday we had a sweet baptismal service for Moses Semoi and
Jane Harding and then New Barracks had one small girl  being
baptized. well, we showed up to the font to find it very shallow...we
had had water trucked in during the week, but now we have discovered a
leak in the font, the reason for so much water leaking. but, before
the baptism it began to rain, so maybe it filled it up small ;) but
the baptisms went great, although we were forced to do sitting ones
again, but it was super spiritual and sweet and all bore powerful
testimonies and it was beautiful. Jane is very sick now though, and we
have been visitng her everyday in the hospital...Malaria, poor girl,
please keep her in your prayers!

On Tuesday we got all 10 of us to pile into a minivan and make the
hour trip to Kenema, which was super sweet. The zone meeting was great
and it was awesome to see Elder Hales and again and Elder Ngerem as
well,and even my grandpa Elder Barth, who only has 6 weeks left :(
going to miss that guy so much! BUT, something everyone should check
out is THESE ELDER HOLLAND SIERRA LEONE VIDEOS on youtube! they are so
sweet, he is talking about Sa Lone and you can see lots of my orginial
proselyting area, my bishop and stake president, and lots of sweet
things, so go check out those videos, I don't know if there on
youtube, but they are church videos and are super inspiring and sweet
:) after the meeting we all went to a little dive, YUM YUMS and had
these giant sandwiches there, which were so delicious...but, ended up
killing off half the apartment. My companion spent the whole night
throwing up :/ poor guy, and then half our proselyting day were cut,
other elders were suffering similiarly and throughout the week,
fortuantely I just enjoyed a yummy sandwich :)

We all have a super craving for spicy hot things though now, because
nothing challenges us anymore, and I honestly believe I am ready for
the hot wing challenge at BWW. Because, we just buy the hottest stuff
we can find in the stores now and literally drink the bottles, its so
funny. I can cham pepay now and only cry a little bit ;) haha, we will
see how this heat keeps up with american heat...maybe they are
different.

Also, Tuesday night one of our converts, was beat
bad...Elder Stanford was walking through his area and found a man
hitting her, the elders got him off her and she was just a little
bruised on the face, so the locals took the man to the police, nothing
happened of course, but in the stress of it all, she passed out..and
didn't wake up for a day...but, we elders went to the hosptial and
gave her a blessing and she was back home the next day :) I love the
power of the priesthood and I know and love how real it is and the
great blessings it gives us. She was pregnant, so thats why we were
doubly concerned, but all is well and she is okay :)

We had a great week with our investigator Foday this week! we have
been teaching him very much and he hasn't been coming to church, but
reads and understand the Book of Mormon perfectly. he can quote verses
from chapters and everything to us, but just wouldn't come to church
and wanted to be baptized. we eventually found that he had no shoes to
wear...and upon discovering this, urged him to ask his boss, who is a
member, who graciously gave him a pair of shoes :) He then came to
church and was AWESOME! every situation or topic that  came up, he
contributed in class by quoting experiences of Nephi and it was so
sweet, he is going to be interviewed next Sunday so I am super excited
for him. The Book of Mormon is so sweet!:) I love it! and speaking of
which, got to go on exchange with Elder Stanford to my old area this
week and visit recent convert Thomas Cooper, and the boy is on 2
nephi 27! I was so happy for him :)

Well, my friends and family, my time is short. time to go and teach
the gospel to some amazing people and bring them everlasting happiness
:) I love this work and I love you all so very much. please be safe
and enjoy the end of the school year!farewell!

Love,
Elder Sumrak