My week has been okay, a little stressful with meeting and stuff but a
whole bunch of brilliant new investigators to liven me up, so I'm
excited that. those 20 missionaries arrived and they were sent ALL
over the mission with tons of new proselyting areas and splits popping
up. we survived another transfer and are still together and the only
missionaries in Belliar Park fortunately. But, on the 17th we will
receive one newby in our apartment/district. His visa had problems so
he is a little late, so we got a branch missionary. Brother Kallon
with us now.We have district meeting every Tuesday but I only have 6
elders in my district, just my apartment. Elder Labrum and I. Elder
Itomo and Mthembu, and Elder Gweyu-Appiah and Brother Kallon. We are
enjoying and having a great time. they love to cook and my workouts
make me love to eat, so we get along great ;) hahaha
and what! that sounds like some CRAZY stuff going down at good ol
Iwa...I can remember when I was just a small chap, 15 some years ago
inside the kingdergarten class room with Mrs. Whitley, good ole
"Joseph" walking in to pick up his lunch, me and brennan ethan making
trouble and having a good ol time. man, where the heck did my life
go!? I mean I'm happy with where I am but I'm honestly tearing up just
imagining how fast my life is passing me by...I guess its sweet I have
a testimony of the plan of salvation and everything and know greater
things are in the future, but I believe my only opporunity of infancy,
innocence, and playful bliss has passed. Now my knolwedge and agency
holds me accountable for everything haha, am I a whiny baby if I make
it sound like I'm complaining ;) I honestly do love life! hahaha
Well concerning Nick - I'm handing it over to God and I am going to pray my heart
in gratitude and tears to him tonight for doing so much for Nick and me (I'm so
selfish I know) I have prayed and prayed and prayed for that boy this
whole week and I'm so happy he is doing well. Please send me another
email and tell me more stories about my growing little brother. I love
and miss him so much....
Had a couple of elders go home this week.
Anyone can "return with honor" but only the dilligent and
faithful can "serve with honor". I hope I am and will continue to be
the latter. If I get ever get trunky please someone send a package to
me with a boxing glove that smacks me in the face, because that is
some dumb tish, forreal. But, one elder and my papi, Elder Ngerem packed
their bags and returned home Friday. On Tuesday I got to do my first
District meeting with Mt. Aureol district which went quite nicely. Its
right in our parlor so thats convenient. I have a great district and
apartment and I love them all very much...I am the oldest by far and I
try hard to be a good example to all these young guys. Everyone is 7
months and less, and we will have 2 being trained as well haha young
guns! :) root out all apostasy early so we don't have an Israel vs.
Canaan situation :) Sure people didn't even like Moses a lot of the
time, so if they don't like me...well" I'll be kinda sad and maybe be
like Moses and say AH this burden is to heavy to bear alone, well its
a good thing I have the Lord to always pick me up :)
Miracle Miracle this week, that almost trumps all miracles in my life
in immediacy hahaha. Elder Labrum and I are walking up the mountain
and its just pouring. just miserable pouring, and my umbrella is
breaking and I'm just wanting to cry haha and I just cry out "Oh, Lord,
Please let it stop!" and Bam, not even 2 seconds passed by, the rain
UTTERLY CEASED, entirely! and the sun came out. Not even 2 seconds, I
promise...Elder Labrum and I stopped looked at each other and were
just like woah...did that just happen? and in the middle of the path,
just stopped and said a short vocal prayer of gratitude for another
constant reminder that our heavenly father is watching us and
listening to us...yeah, our prayers always seem to do with rain, but
gosh its sweet. I am TRYING to become like Jesus, so one step
at a time right? Well in my joy, my umbrella snapped in half while
putting it up, so threw it in the bush and continued onward haha God
loves us :)
:)
The sisters this week had a sister conference which was quite strange
because as we were coming out of our district leader training, I see
all the sisters in the whole mission in jeans and Sister Ostler and all
of them having a good ol time haha, I want an Elders Conference where
we can all come play football! forreals :)
Sister Kanzler found EXPIRED Peanut butter for 7,000 leones, which are
normally 25-30 which is just too much for missionaries to afford
really, but she bought up half the stock and sold them to us
missionaries, so I got a couple reserved and now she is going to go
buy us 10, which i will just use my money on for now so I can stash em
for the rest of my mission :) Yummy expired peanut butter, woot woot!
made in Illinois might I add!
Our runs have gone quite well this week, even though I had to find us
a new route, but if you want to look up the route, its down Padema
road from the prison, to the cotton tree, from the cotton tree down
Sanders Street to the U-Building (miata conference center) then back
to Mends street :) its about 30 minutes or 35 minutes long but gosh
running this morning I did not feel well at all! and another miracle
happened in that one store was open at 6:15 in the morning that people
were mopping and I ran and found a safe haven! :) I am very lucky, and
TMI? so what?
So, Saturday was "national cleaning day" so on Friday evening at 4:00
we had our baptism, so of course it didn't start until 5:00 but it was
the baptism for 10 or so people, and 2 for Belliar Park, Ibrahim
and Matta who I had the privlige of baptizing, and gosh it was
great. I love them both so much, but Ibrahim is like my best
friend...My Saidu is gone and God sent me someone else for this small
time and its Ibrahim. He is so great and I love him so much. He has
already brought 3 investigators to church and just walks around as a
missionary haha, he even sat down at the sacrament table on Sunday and
I was like "what are you doing" and he was like "Ah, I forgot, sorry I
got excited" and went and sat back down hahaha :) he is great. On
Sunday I got to give a talk to the Ward, which was tragically empty
with only 60 people or so, far from our usual 100 -110 + because it
had rained from 5:00 am to 12:00 haha aond continued and continued.
But, I gave a talk on families and we had a member from the Area
Seventy there from Ghana who also spoke after me, so it was sweet
having him there.
And uh, Saturday cleaning day was a joke, we just cleaned small around
the place and chilled because nobody was allowed to leave their house
until 1:00 or you will get like arrested haha :) so that was fun...
Today we had super P day and all gathered at the chapel and played
games and ate food and watched something like A Rare Posession which
was pretty sweet...got some lovely packages from my lovely mother and
then straight to go email :) can't wait to go home and see whats
inside!:)
I love you all so much and just want you to know that I have a
testimony that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came and died for us.
He loves us. He has promised and offered us so much, in return for so
very little. Even if we offered our whole souls and efforts, we would
"still be unprofitable servants" so let us at least offer the most we
can, and try to be slightly less unprofitable servants :) I know if we
follow him that we will no longer be his servants, as the area seventy
said...servants serve with no thought of reward, Christ prepares to
reward our efforts...we aren't his servants..we are his FRIENDS :)
Love,
Jesse
Elder Sumrak
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