Families Can Be Together Forever

I am doing terrific of course and everything is
going fine as you can imagine. Time truly is flying by for me and I
can't believe how quickly each and every week is going, but this week
was really special and lots of great things happened so I will have
lots to talk about and hopefully not be boring like I have been for
the past 6 weeks haha. I apologize.

The APs mostly get all the new stuff for the missionaries but I have
to order some other stuff through the office for my new companion such
as boots and jackets and rain gear and what not, but they give them
nets and doxy and every thing the day they come.

The APs (Assistants to the President) stay above the mission office. the zone
leaders stay with me. and yes, I am
50 pages away from finishing church history haha. and I am eating I
promise! I gained 4 lbs in the past 2 weeks so now I am up to 146, so
I am doing my best but its hard to eat healthy here and I don't want
to put on fat...but I will do what it takes to stay alive ;)

tenki tenki for the sports information. I have 10 dear elders in my
bag so I am excited to read them tonight haha

and I have TOO MANY SHORTS, so please no shorts haha, every time I buy
a jersey the shorts come with them...so naturally I have close to 15
shorts ;) hahaha

and ah...I want to go to the temple SOOOOO BAD momma...I would really
love to go the week I get home, to kind of seal my mission in a way
and just kind of go have a conversation with God where the veil really
is the thinnest on the earth. I would really like that a lot :) 

and mother I am very proud of you and your new calling 
and I know you are going to love it and do great. I can still remember
all of the great lessons and everything you did for me when I was in
Primary :) I can remember those good ole days. I can also remember my
1st talk in Primary, where you whispered the words in my ear, until I
refused and you just gave my talk for me...gosh do I love you mother.
you really are the greatest mother in the world so thank you :)

ah I didn't know Laura's parents went to go see them?! that is so sweet
and I love the post baby blessing picture! oh the song I sang at Thomas 
and Laura's wedding - my song...even i had forgotten
about my song...I need to watch that video again sometime, I need to
come out with my own album. and I can notice the prayers momma...so I
thank you, because I really am on the roller coaster high right now, so
I am trying to stay up there :) life is sweet!

My week....

Tuesday: Well, Tuesday morning they came and took my child away, and
Elder Dancan was off to east Freetown, and I was to go with the
Freetown elders, the zone leaders. Upon arriving at the chapel for
district meeting, I was told to go with the assistants. This would
later change as well. I was inspired Tuesday morning and changed my
district meeting and it actually turned out really nice. I came up
with the Missionary plan of salvation and it actually works really
cool and accurately and stuff, you would laugh and love it, I'll show
you when I get home one day. After District meeting, the other
trainers arrived (which I wasn't expecting) and it was Elder Serafine
(my mtc), Elder Symons (my 1st apartment and Bo apartment mate) and
Elder Arikpo. So, they gave me Elder Serafine and Elder Symons to
proselyte with for the day while they went to pick up the freshies
from the airport and boy it was a fun day!

We had a couple lessons after ambushing some investigators because I
was not able to inform them before hand, but all was well and we had a
great time teaching some great people, then we all went out to eat 
for dinner at Quick Take and sat down and had some delicious egg
burgers before hurrying back to the church compound to spend the night
with the assistants. We came to find the 4 new elders, 2 Americans and
2 Nigerians. We spent the night scaring them with stories and building
them up as well of course, and I read lots of Elder Liufau's cook
book...yeah :)

In the morning we were assigned to take them out to breakfast, so out
to the street we went for sweet milk + bread sandwiches, then we were
all picked up and taken to the mission home for orientation, which was
all very nostalgic and too many coincidences. We got to help with the
teaching and training and then after introducing our areas, President
Ostler assigned us to our companion, and I received Elder Labrum, from
Utah, and he is great. He is an awesome companion and is a little bit
shy but we are getting along great and the work is going forward
smoothly. It's weird having a white companion again though, but the
Africans love it...

We then were spoiled to an amazing lunch of like chili soup with pita
bread and chips and then vanilla ice cream with carrot cake and
pineapple and I was just in heaven and enjoying too much! ah, it was
amazing! then, I came to realize I was sitting in the exact same seat
as I was one year before at my orientation...weird huh? and of course
it would get weirder that we would coincidentally have our first
lesson right outside the security post, (where I had my 1st lesson 1
year ago) then it would be even weirder that I would see my trainer,
Elder Ngerem come into the compound from Kissy, and even weirder when
Elder Baffou-appiah (my 1st apartment mate) would walk in through the
gate, and weirder still when I came to find out Elder Adah would be
staying with us for the week (my 1st apartment mate) before he goes
home on Wednesday...so lots of coincidences and lots of fun :)

I am really enjoying training again this time around because I am 
already seeing growth and he is already becoming a great elder and I'm
teaching him languages and all the food and ah, I'm really enjoying.

The week went by great with fun lessons and fun investigators and much
progression in our area. back to leaving the apartment at 11 :/ but,
it's all good, but it really dampens how many people we can see a day,
but we do our very best.

Yesterday, Sunday, was our amazing miracle of the week though. On
Friday we taught one young boy, Eugene, and he loves the church but
his parents are strong in another church, but his mother just wants
him to be happy and be a good boy, so she has urged us to love him, take him
and baptize him...but, following the encouragement of our mission
president, we told her we wanted to teach the whole family. She seemed
scared and told us her husband wouldn't like that, he was strong in
his church. We persisted. The Mission president sent out a text asking
to join any family lessons...this would be my first my whole mission.

So, President and Sister Ostler joined us at the chapel and we made
the hard climb up the slippery mountain to the appointment. I was
nervous and excited, my first family lesson and also mission prez was
with us...but, miracles happened. The man came into the room and you
could tell he was not happy at all, but after the opening
prayer...everything changed, he suddenly just started about how he
wanted to join and his family as well and how he felt prompted to go with
Eugene to church but hadn't and he wants all these answers and you
know, I have had some experiences like this before on my mission, 
it was truly amazing and the
spirit was so strong and the wife was so happy and told us that she
didn't think he would ever agree. So we made another appointment this
week, and then...Eugene's momma brought us out a giant bowl of cassava
leaf :) to my joy and to Elder Labrum and the president and his wife
to try for the first time...they ate very very very small, needless to
say to please our humble investigator I ate very very much. They then
turned on a video, gospel Nigerian music and it was absolutely
hilarious, and probably one of my favorite memories on mission.
Watching Nigerian gospel music while eating African food with my
president and his wife :) classic. so a great day!

This morning topped off the week when we went to the bank and then
entered the super market to find....WAFFLE CRISP! WHAT!? WHAT?W!HAT?!
and it was the cheapest cereal there. gosh I almost went crazy and
bought 4 boxes but I calmed myself and just got one...and a box of
Special K for the same price as well :) ah, life is good. Just got my
haircut done in the mission office by Elder Lauritizen, so life is good
:) life is good. another great week and gosh...teaching that family
was such a powerful moment to me because I want them to be together
forever, I want to be with my family together forever. and when the
father put his arm around Eugene and said, this is my best friend, we
talk about everything, I want the best for him, if this is the best
then I want it, I was brought to tears. I want this...I want it for my
family and I am so happy for this gospel, even tears well up in my
eyes now as I write this because I love the plan of salvation and my
family so much...I thank God for everything he has done for me. Thank
you mom and dad. thank you everybody, I love you all have a great
week!

Love,
Elder Jesse Sumrak