New Missionaries!

Hello my dear  family and friends! this week has been complete chaos and miracles and awesomeness and change and what not, but it sure was great! Also, I heard something about some missionary film that is in theaters or something? true or false? please confirm and report! So, Monday last week was pretty lazy and chill and we just spent most of the day in preparation for all the upcoming missionaries. Tuesday morning was spent doing all the last minute preparations, ordering the foods, preparing the orientations, and getting the tickets and what not. Around 12:00, we joined President and Sister Ostler to drive down to the docks, where a super sweet speedy boat drove us across the ocean bay to Lungi. It was a lot of fun being on the boat and on the ocean again, looking out I could almost see Virginia Beach, but then seeing how much trash was in the water even over 3 miles out from the coast...I silently prayed that VA was VERY VERY far away, so this polluted water would never enter my beautiful beach. The nice rocking of the boat put everyone to sleep except for me, but then we arrived at Lungi and a bus came to pick up all of us passengers and drive us on to the airport. Get to the airport, get frisked a little bit by some security, then went inside the terminal to wait for the new missionaries. Did memory games with flashcards with President and Sister Ostler so we could learn the missionaries faces and names. Then we got a call saying that ONE didn't make it, that the plane filled up and that he had to stay until a flight on Thursday would take him...Poor Elder Chola :( 

Well, the missionaries starting filing out one by one and we were trying to rush them and their bags over to a safe and consolidated area where President was, and it went pretty well. Some bags were torn from poor airport facilities and one sister had bad nausea, but everything else went surprisingly smoothly. A large private bus came to pick us up and transport us to the ferry and the excited missionaries sang hymns the entire way haha, it was pretty entertaining. It was 19 missionaries, 13 Elders and 6 sisters, from so many countries, but only Africans. Many from Nigeria, and some from Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Botswana, and I think even other countries haha, they were a super fun and excited group :)  

The ferry ride was incredibly slow, like usual, but we had a lot of fun mingling and getting to know all the new missionaries. They all gathered around Elder Nwosu, Wootton, and I, and just wanted to hear every single little thing about Sierra Leone, and it brought back memories of me 17 months ago, asking my boss men (elder Barth and Appleby) the tiniest of questions, trying to learn all that I could. And having gone through that experience, I was trying to make this new adjustment as easy and happy as possible for these new missionaries, and they are very fortunate that things have changed in this mission...for you shall see how spoiled they are as the story continues. The ferry landed and we got everyone back on the bus and then had to go and look for our bus driver which caused some small palava, then we were back on the road...but right outside the mission office is a large amount of construction work at the moment. And its 8:30 at night and its just complete chaos and we're not moving and its just not possible to make the left hand turn to get into the compound..."Elders, can you please take care of this." Of Course! So the 3 of us jumped out of the bus and started doing everything we could to open the space for the bus, pushing taxis backwards, blocking off the bikers, and just complete chaos, but we managed it and got the bus into the compound successfully. So, the Elders went on into the chapel while we unloaded their bags, then joined them on up there for a feast of chicken sandwiches, peanut butter jelly sandwiches, apples, oatmeal cookies, and what not...I did not get that welcome party when I came hahaha. After, the new missionaries had to do some new paper work for entering the country and what not, then they all went to the office to receive their assignments from President Ostler and boy were they excited to get those! We got them all calmed down and put them to bed, then went down to the office to write in our journals then get to bed... 

Woke up at 4:00 on accident because my dumb universal clock screwed up and I meant to get up at 5, but It seemed pretty normal though because there were freshies ironing and showering and what not ??? but, while I was shaving Elder Wootton came in and was like you know its 4 right? and I was like tish, so I shaved and slept another hour, then got up early so I could shower ahead of everyone and start getting ready for the day, preparing the breakfast for the new  guys and what not. Elder Nwosu and I set it all up for them. Bread for sandwiches, chewy bars, apples, and 2 boiled eggs and I refilled all the bottles for them haha pretty crazy but managed to get them all fed and what not on time and to the chapel for orientation. The orientation didn't start until an hour later at 10, but it went well, and Elder Nwosu and I even got some time at the end to do some instruction and practice on companionship inventory with the group which went nicely :) We did some office work and kept the Elders occupied and did everyone's chores and what not around the place, printing maps, programming phones, and updating phone lists and what not, but eventually got all the new elders sent out with their trainers and only had 8 left to sleep with us who were off for Bo and Kenema tomorrow. We also had Elder Coffie with us, who would be leaving the following day...my district leader from Bo :) old man haha. Elder Kanzler took us all up to Goderich to drop off some elders there and then continued on with us assistants to the mission home for the farewell dinner/testimony of Sister Attiogbe (my mtc) and Elder Coffie. We had an amazing dinner which I counted for my thanksgiving dinner, of roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, pineapple, banana, guava, peeta bread, and then for dessert ice cream with oatmeal cookies...so yeah, I definitely forgot I was in Africa for a little while ;) we 3 did the dishes and then joined everyone including the Ostlers, Lauritzens, and Kanzlers to listen to the departing missionaries testimonies...and then back to our apartment we went. 

Up early again the next day at 5 to make sure all the elders were outside to wait for Bishop Markus to come with the van to take them all to the bus station. I was already awake so I just stayed up and gymed and did like 3,000 some jumprope or something haha. and then Elder Wootton left us on for his new assignment in Hill Station. We did our weekly planning. and then down to the office for the rest of the day to do all the work with the new transfers. Updating the transfer list, phone list, assignments, all the internet updates and what not and informing new missionaries about certain things, then late in the afternoon we rushed to the bank to get our subsistence. We were late and transport was impossible, but fortuantely the Burns drove by and gave us a ride. and had to beg security to let us in, which they did, then had to beg the last accounting woman to please help us, which fortunately she did, miracle after miracle I tell you. Eventually came home and had dinner...I think we had like frosted flakes or something haha HAPPY THANKSGIVING!:)  

Friday we had a lot of office work as well. 3 missionaries were leaving Sierra Leone for Nigeria and we had to help weigh their bags and then give them a brief orientation and open up their myldsmail accounts and what not, then we got to stand in the circle with President Ostler and Stake President Swaray to set them apart, which was pretty sweet :) but in the evening we actually got to go to our area for the first time and got to teach a lesson in Dwarzak! Yay! That was nice :) nice to be out teaching again haha it sure it different, but fortunately teaching is just the same :) Came on home and had some potato leaf, courtesy of Elder Nwosu. 

Saturday we had had a ward baptism that we attended, then had to stick around to help out the Elder Who came late Thursday night and get all his paper work filled out... 

Yeah...so life is good. It's a bit different, only got to teach about 8 lessons last week, which is definitely different for me...but, I'm getting used to it :) It's nice because we have a water heater haha so hot showers are new indeed, as well as AC...yeah can't complain about too much really...but, more stories and interesting things to come. Always excitement here in the office. Love you all so much and hope and pray you are all doing well! take care! 

Love, 
Elder Jesse Sumrak