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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Easter!

Sister Roggia was kind to send this picture taken in Bo on March 31, 2013


So sorry I couldn't get on yesterday. National Holiday in Sa
Lone so everything closed down, but fortunately they let us all come
today small to go and email. I received the box this week! Ah, it was
so sweet. I love the hat and the shoes and the oh so much oatmeal. you
should see the smile on my face when I sit down and enjoy that
actually flavorful and tasty oatmeal :) ah....look forward to it every
morning. thank you so very much my dear mother! the box was amazing,
protein, gum and oatmeal, pretty much all the your son could ever ask
for! thank you lots...the africans don't understand the hat but, i
love it haha, pictures to hopefully come one day!

Well, new missionaries already came at the beginning of the transfer,
have one from Zimbabwe in the apartment, Elder Mukwaira, and yes I
redrew the boundaries or whatever, but they are re drawing for our
branch and New Barracks branch on sunday, and President Roggia is
coming to have the vote sustained in a combined branch meeting. so that
should be interesting. and then, I and Messima 2 will probably have to
redraw our lines again to make sure it fits fairly :) super busy!

and the football game was awesome. the goal post wasn't completely
broken, so no problem...but so excited to hear that grandma and grandad
are setting up the new field.. Here comes the next generation of
football players! so glad that they are encouraging this sport in the
family ;) sorry other sport fanatics, soccer is winning this family!

But, speaking of which...went to New Barracks field yesterday to play
a football match and we had a great time...until one of the africans
on the other team fired wide and hit a drunk policeman in the leg, to
which he threatened to slash the ball, and when Elder Weller
approached, accused him of "rushing" then, the cops went and tore down
the goal, and went down to the other end of the field and tore down
the goal...so sa lone cops for the win, so we set up a new
field playing the different direction and continued our game...kill
joys!

Wow! so great to hear Travis came to church :) greet him for me mother
if you would. and wow those missionaries are doing amazing,
congratulations to them, hope they keep up the hard work. and this
week was SHORT, it just flew by like nothing! and yes, as district
leader I go on exchanges every week, but due to the size of the
district I am going to have to start doing 2 a week...which is really
going to affect my area...but, its what I got to do so I got to do it.
no problems! I love getting to work with the other missionaries
though. I love them all so very much and I pretty much have the
sweetest apartment in the entire mission. I love it! I even get to go
on an exchange with my MTC Elder Weller on Friday, so stoked!

Our Easter Program was a huge success! we started off the program with
the whole of zone baptisms. which was around 20 I think, which was
sweet. And one young lady from my past area, but still in my branch,
asked me to baptize her, so that was awesome. I began her and 2 others
teachings so it was really sweet to be a part of their baptism,
interivew, and witness their confirmation as well, even though they
aren't "Mine" anymore haha I love them all so much and it was such a
great baptism! after the baptism we had the program which included
recent convert testimonies, weird bible video clips about Jesus Christ
that I have never seen before and are really rather strange to me, but
nice, and singing. The missionarys all sang together hymn "behold the
great redeemer die" and then I have been practicing with 9 other
missionaries to do a special number "where can i turn for peace" which
went so beautifully. I am not an amazing singer, as you all know, but
I really wanted to participate, and the Lord actually blessed my voice
and I didn't sound bad haha :) and I learned how to read music a
little bit more and very many blessings came from it. super nice! had
about a hundred and fifty people there, and about 5-6 investigators
from our area alone!

English, bah, nobody understand  REAL english. you can speak dumb or
simple english and they might get the jist of what your saying, just
like I can understand Mendeh just by the way people yell and move
their hands haha. but, no...they don't all understand english very
well at all. The return missionaries and really the branch presidency
do, because they are encouraged and recommeneded to do EVERYTHING in
english.

Well on to the week:

We got a new phone this week, thank goodness, even though this one is
tish as well. the apartment is dying haha, the generator has finally
died and we haven't had power all week, and that means we can't pump
water. so, we go out to bucket it, and the well is almost dry, so the
water is FILTHY! I took some out yesterday to bath and there were
centipedes and tish crawling around inside...but, just pour in lots of
bleach and say your prayers :) hahaha oh life. also, no power means
all of our phones are dead...yay! so, I am having it charged in the
internet cafe right now.

Got to go and do some late night interviews in Lewabu this week, which
is even bushier then our area! gosh, didn't finish till around 8:30
and it was pitch black outside, but, good thing the zone leaders knew
where they were going so we could find our way back to the road haha
or I would have been lost in the bush for eternity!

Had an amazing free meal the other day with our investigator Grace. She made
us ebay, which is like a gravy soup sort of, with cassava, potatoes,
yams, pepay, plantanes, bananas, fish, chicken, beef, and oh gosh it
was so good, but makes you feel incredibly heavy! but, so good!

Then, we had restoration day on Thursday! went to the bank and then we
all went to Sabs to go enjoy giant hamburgers and tons of unhealthy
food. so good and we enjoyed so much. the restaurant is so legit and
though the food is expensive as mess, we all had a great time and
filled our bellies far past max capacity while a movie played on the
tv and we forced ourselves to focus on our food as WWE was changed to
the movie Forever Strong, and missinoaries got trunky seeing Utah
mountains in the background hahaha :)

Had an amazing experience this week as my district instruction invited
everyone to focus on our investigators making and keeping commitments,
and we went out and did our best to apply it, and Saturday morning I
saw it...and it moved me so strongly, one of the strongest moments of
joy on my mission. Little success in this area...but upon passing one
investigators house Saturday morning, I found him on his front patio,
inside 1 Ne 3, reading and understanding :) then, going to the next
house, I found our next investigator, sitting outside on a beautiful
Saturday when he could be doing ANYTHING, and he is sitting in the
front yard, reading the Plan of Salvation tract...at least I know I am
making a difference in some people's lives. I love the gospel. it
truly changes people and improves their lives. these people are so
happy with the truth they have discovered...and my joy is full in
witnessing their conversions!

Almost got into a bike crash on Saturday on the way to the Easter
program. flying down the road on bike and some less than intelligent
man crosses the road with long 10 feet long metal pipes on his head.
my bikeman slammed on breaks and swerved out of the way, we both
ducked and managed to miss it, but the next bikeman ran straight into
it, his head whiplashing (fortunately wearing a helmet...one in 10)
and his passenger received a blow to the head...but nobody fell off
their bikes, and nobody died...so all is well in Bo :)

Elder Weller and I were super hungry Sunday night and had no food to
eat...so, we attempted to make pancakes without a recipe or anything
haha. that meant...Flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon...um yeah, we
had no eggs, so we tried to make it and it turned out looking nice
with lil flavor except cinnamon haha, but SYRUP to the rescue, it was
enjoyable :) we are pretty good chefs..we know. we are gonig to
continue to try, but mother, if you could assist me in some
recipes...like for pancakes, crepes, or anything else simple and easy
to make that doesn't require a refrigerator. I would love that! thank
you!

Well, that is really all for this week. tons of fun and adventures and
conversions and spiritual experiences are awaiting just beyond the
street bend...or dirt path bend. I look once more just around the
corner bend, don't know what for, maybe to teach somebody, don't know
what for, maybe to save somebody's soul, just around the mud hut bend,
just around the coconut grove bend! yeah...Pocohontas...forgive me,
I'm hungry! farewell my family and friends, I love you!

Love,
Elder Jesse Sumrak

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