Freetown Again!!

WOW! congratulations to Rachel on her mission call, 
that is so exciting and I am so happy
for her :) wow...Brazil, I belive she has opened the flood gates to
South America for our family, but we will see if my prophecy is
fulfilled!

Haha that is so awesome hearing about teaching that 2nd grade class :)
Book me when I get home and if I get home early enough in time I will
come visit them in 3rd grade and do a powerpoint of my own :) go ahead
and book me for the assembly for the fall 2014 :) haha momma you are
such a great missionary, you know that! kusheyo!

Wow, that sounds like a pretty crazy graduation, but I am so glad to
hear CJ is doing okay. I love that boy and that family...they really
are special :) and the priesthood truly is amazing, we really are
lucky to have it and I am so grateful...

So...my crazy crazy week has ended and another has begun...but, I will
try to cram all the adventure into this email for you.

My last district meeting in Bo on Tuesday was very nice with the whole
district gathered, including the zone leaders, and I gave an
instruction on sacrifice and the spirit guided it very well and I hope
everyone gained from it, because I know I did...I love doing district
meetings because they hardly EVER go as I plan them haha, the
spirit always carries me whichever way He prefers and it's a greater
blessing to everyone assembled...because let's be honest, I'm completely
incompetent, the Lord really has to take over for me haha, but He
just asks me to be available, He will do the rest :)

My last day in Bo was crazy and hectic. I had planned a day of seeing
my beloved recent converts to encourage and uplift them before I left,
but before 12 noon even reached I got a phone calling announcing a handful
of elders had arrived at the apartment and were awaiting me to unlock
the building. So, we rushed home and gathered the new missionaries. My
wonderful picking was there, ELDER ETUK! and it was great seeing him
again, and my best buddy mtc mate Elder Hill, so great to see him as
well...but, with Elder Weller and I our companions had just received
their new ones, so we decided to let them get straight to work and we
went and did our own thing.  We went off into his area first to say
goodbye to his recent converts, then to my area. Some tears were shed
and some laughs as well, and it was really a special day for the both
of us...one I will not forget.

Then, we all met up at Sabs to enjoy lots of food and each others
company. I invited Sonaldo to join and Elder Flament and I chipped in
to buy him his first meal there...I believe maybe one of the first
legit meals in his life. We bought him a plate of roasted chicken with
tortilla wraps haha, he looked like he  was about to cry he was so
happy :) it made my day! I slept at the Lewabu apartment and my
sleeping situation started off hilariously. They only had one net that
was covered in gas, so I hung that up, and had no pillow so I was
using toilet paper rolls, but Elder Clawson and his charitable self
came in and gave me a pillow :) what a great guy. so actually slept
okay, woke up at 5 and had some nice oatmeal before the van was there
to take us back to Freetown..and what a company we had. My papi, Elder
Ngerem, Elder Burton, Weller, Gyewu Appiah, Mills, and the dying
men....Elder Barth and Elder Esiaba...surprisngly we rode in silence
through the bushy plains of sa lone...listening to John Bytheway,
while I'm sure these old missionaries contemplated the next couple days
for themselves...their last time in sa lone.

We arrived and I was dropped off close to last, and it was so weird
to be back in Freetown....our apartment is a 30 minute walk away from
our area, but it's not bad. the apartment is really nice, with constant
water and light, and tiling, and its quite nice inside, but small, but
it's just me and my companion and the zone leaders, so very nice.

My new picking...Elder Dancan, only been out 6 weeks. KENYAN BOBO, man
he is such a great guy. his accent is hilarious and I love it,
especially when he tries to talk krio, which is painful. He sounds
like what you would imagine a stereotypical Indian guy to sound like
haha, but he really is a great missionary with great desire and work
ethic and I'm so happy to be with him...it's another trial of patience,
but this one I'm more prepared for :)

and by the way...a lot of people here want CTR rings...haha so if you
want to throw a couple of those cheap ones in a box these simple
people would appreciate it more then any of us could expect hahaha :)
tankey momma bear

So...news for the week. gosh it was so so so so sweet to see my boys
again from Mt. Aureol and even to hear their exciting news for the
week! they literally came rushing at me and it was great seeing their
smiling faces! Saidu - porta court nigeria, Idrissa - legos nigeria,
Patrick - ngu nigeria, Mohamed - sierra leone (liberia), Mabel -
calaba nigeria, George - nigeria. WHAT!? that is my mount aureol ward
missionaries, representing the Lord Jesus Christ...I am so very proud
of all of them :) they are going to change the world and this church
even more when they return. what great people, please keep them all in
your prayers, some are sacrificing and risking more than you would like
to imagine.

so, Elder Otubu and Aseidu, the zone leaders, cook the most oily
delicious fatty meals in the world and are so nice to always share with
me...but it was hard to tell them yesterday...I WILL NOT BE EATING
with you guys anymore haha they are so funny, they still try to give
me food but i humbly deny...they want to see me bump I know it! but
boy can they cook!

We had a wonderful baptism on Saturday for some people I really didn't
know TOO well but I had actually come to know and love pretty quickly.
It was a really special moment for me on Thursday when I went to go
teach my first lesson with my companion and get this. July 3rd last
year, my first lesson taught, in the chapel compound in the security
guard post to the security guard, towards the end of the lesson, I met
Saidu for the first time as he walked in.

June 6, 2013 my first lesson back in Freetown, the security guard
post, new security man, Saidu walks in at the end of the lesson...WHAT,
there are not coincidences with the Lord and it really was a special
moment for me and made me realize just how quickly mission is going
by...but that young man was baptized, as well as another strong young
man and a shy girl as well...and the 2 men already received callings
on Sunday as youth sunday school secretary and 1st counselor in the
young mens or something like that haha, so crazy!!! back to
Freetown...sure is a lot more fruitful then Bo...but boy do I hate the
city. honking cars, already got hit again, back to this tish and nasty
air...but, I will endure cheerfully and do all I can to love it :)
hahaha just pray...just pray :)

Well Sunday was SUPER sweet and I was so happy to find that...everyone
remembered me! and it was so awesome and I was almost brought to tears
as I went to give my opening testimony in the ward and I saw 2 of my
recent converts walk in the door and sit down...AHHH I saw lots in mt.
aureol ward and it was SOOO SWEET! it really feels so good to know
that I have made a differencein the lives of some people...and of
course it hurts not to see some people...but, just got to keep doing my
best and let the good memories and feelings drive me!

Trizone conference yesterday with Elder Dickson was amazing. President
and Sister Roggia gave the most beautiful farewell talks and I was
unbelieavably sad when we sang God Be With You Til We Meet Again as
our departing hymn...those wonderful people have changed my life
forever and I pray the Lord will bless and preserve them. The
conference was great and Elder Dickson was great and they even gave us
mini preach my gospels which was awesome!

We went out teaching and ended in the evening when we saw the darkest
of clouds approaching over the mountains. we ended the lesson and
began a fast walk home, as we were a good 30 minutes from the
apartment...well, it didn't take us that long because it soon turned
into a dead out sprint as we were in danger of very fast winds and
crashing cars as we ran home. fences were falling down and wind storm
kept hitting practically blinding us. cars and bikes were sliding
everywhere and we barely made it to the apartment before the real
winds and rain started coming, but gosh it was almost a 2 mile dead
out run...glad to know I'm still in shape :)  haha

Today was crazy and still is. played some football on a nasty ugly
dangerous field, but i just love football too much to care, and now
just got lots of stuff to still take care of haha, so I love you all so
much, I know this gospel is true. family means the world and even
beyond the world, especially I am drawn to this as my new neice is
quickly approaching. family is the most imporant eternal unit in time
and all eternity. i know that to be true...it is the heart of
missionary work. it is my pursuit and my mission, eternal family, I
love you all dearly! take care and be safe and don't forget to pray,
God be with you till we meet again!

love,
Elder Sumrak