New Missionary Couple

The Jests (new missionary couple) arrived this week and they are great! Both have strong British accents but are humble and sweet and ready to work..but don't watch Football :( disappointing, I know, I was so excited to have a buddy to talk football with, but nope. He is gigantic, like 6' 3-4" something, even bigger than my Nigerian companion and she is incredibly short, around 5 feet, I imagine, or smaller. but they are great and taking action. The office missionaries will stay with us, as they are assigned to our ward, but we may look for other accommodations for them, but for now they are with us.   

We did have baptisms! A pregnant young lady, who is very shy, and O, 12. They are the adopted children of P. and his giant recent convert family, so we are trying hard to manage them and keep them all coming and fellowshipped though we are working hard to get leaders into the ward so we can split it by May...lets see how that goes. We do have 1 more this Saturday as well, so I'm glad we finally got this area going after they washed it clean the week before I arrived haha, but small small we are trying our best :) 

Last Tuesday we went early over to Waterloo zone about an hour away and got to join and give instruction in their zone meeting, which was a lot of fun, especially since I got to see my pikin, Elder Rogers, and even Elder Flament, so I really enjoyed that! It was my first time giving instruction to a zone, but  the Spirit was certainly there and I really enjoyed it and strangely wasn't too nervous,  so I really enjoyed it. We are going to Goderich District meeting tomorrow to observe and then the 4 hour drive to Makeni Wednesday to instruct our sweet beloved sisters.

We had an old missionary return back to us this week from Nigeria. He came back and it was just funny how I observed him now! It's funny...I wrote in my journal about it, about wow, this is such a sweet dedicated member of the church and I'm really proud of him and all his work, funny how I didn't see him the same when he was a missionary...we just have different standards here and ways of living. It just made me laugh that as missionaries we are SO hard on ourselves, it is crazy. We do have a higher standard here, and i was joking with Elder Weller the other day, it's like man...I feel bad today, I woke up at 6:32...or man, I didn't get to studies until 8:05...or ah gosh, I forgot to shave today! and we feel like these wicked terrible people who aren't even worthy to take the sacrament haha...mother, your sentence to me wrapped it up last week, what do mormons do best? feel guilty. I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I'm so happy I don't have to be perfect...I just have to try my very best and when I fall down, or miss my alarm, or forget to shave, I can repent and do better tomorrow...but, I can be slightly prideful and say I haven't forgotten to shave and I am usually up at 5:45...yeah, I'm a boss. 

We had a great time finding some new individuals and praying hard to find people and receiving revelation on where to find them, and it's so miraculous to go out and try your hardest every day and see no success...none...wasted time...and kneel down and say a prayer and do it the next day and see success...see investigators, see people wanting to come unto Christ. I love it so much. I was contemplating the other day about baptism and was thinking " why do we need someone to do baptism for us" faith is personal, repentance is personal, enduring to the end is personal, what is with these not personal ordinances? Well, you can't be saved on your own. You can't do it on your own. You can't baptize yourself. you can't come up out of the water by yourself...You need Christ, and it doesn't matter how good you are. I love that so much, we always need Him and he is always there. Always...its a true principle I have seen in everything, call me silly but I pray before I play football,and when I do, I play well (not win, but personally play well) when I don't I don't. Not going to go too deep into it, but if I want to go play, its me going to go play, when I pray to be safe and play and well and have fun, I join the Team and God is on my side :) 

Thursday we got to orientate a young woman from Bo and send her out on her mission to Nigeria, which was fun to just go through the white handbook and answer some of her questions and just see how pumped she was to go on mission. Also had some guys return from mission this week to our ward, so we are trying hard to get them pumped up to go out and work with us and give us some referrals and help keep them converted and going strong! 

We had a office coordination meeting with all the couples and president and his wife and we got some things decided and our vision established and its awesome. We are working hard to build real growth in the members and also in our missionaries and I love minstering to missionaries and investigators alike, and I love the relationships I have been able to establish on mission, yes with my converts, but even through my missionaries. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I am helping them endure to the end as much as converts (and they honestly do the same for me as well, I love them all). 

Today we went over to Goderich to attend their super p day they invited us to, so we got to go to the beach and play football on the beach, then went for a run on the beach and then we went back to a members house after walking about 2-3 miles and then enjoyed TONS of rice, chicken, and salad and watched Madagascar 2 haha. I talked to Elder Evans most of the time about working out and gyming and what not and we had a great time, I really love that missionary. He is from Hawaii and then I forget where, but he is a big Polynesian guy who is just a ton of fun. Hope I can chill with him after mission! 

Besides that, everything really is going sweet right now. we have some great investigators and some sweet people we are teaching. Taught one educated man this week and we stumped him pretty good, and I'm excited to go back and see what's been on his mind, but we were running short on time and had to run back and do follow ups. He asked about the Book of Mormon and asked, well why is your church different and why do you use the Book of Mormon, which makes you different while all the other churches only use the bible?....to my response ----why are all the other churches different if they're all using the same bible...naturally we would be different and have a good excuse if we are using the Book of Mormon as well :) hahaha I really love teaching people who ask good questions though , honestly, I love difficult people much more than accepting people. I don't like, yes, whatever you say must be true you're a man of God! I want to hear, WHY! HOW! WHO said! or, how can I know what your saying is true! to which I can respond pray pray pray! instead of, "will you pray to know if this is true"....why do I need to pray I already believe everything you are telling me? To my respoonse --- STOP believing me and ask God, PLEASE! haha Oh, Sa Lone mission...I love you! everyone have an amazing week, I love you all so much :) 

Love, 
Jesse 
Elder Sumrak 
TheOatmealMan! 

FOUND PACKAGED OATMEAL BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOO got me banana/peaches/and strawberries and cream, kinda expensive but oh I am going to enjoy!:) 

Cobra Part 2

Ah! So so jealous to hear that you got tickets to go out to Utah momma, but I hope you guys have a fun and safe journey. Shout out to my little brother Nick, love you little guy, if you are even still alive!...but, like I said...still love you :) 
Wow momma, you sure did have a dramatic week, but I hope the next couple of ones are more relaxing for you as the new semester begins. Your end of semester sounds like my end of transfers haha, we sure do have good times don't we huh?:)  Congratulations on the 25  mile run Dad, that milestone is no small feat, I am awfully competitive and I'm going to have to try to come home and compete with you this summer haha, you got the edge on me! 

So...this week, I did crash actually, I was full of energy until like Thursday morning when I woke up and my whole entire body hurt for some reason, just everywhere, not in a muscle way either, but it even hurt to swallow, my toes hurt and everything, but fortuantely that was an office day so I got to rest up before going out proselyting in the evening and during the day Friday, so I was able to overcome that and back on a high today with tons of energy. We had super P-Day today and we got to go play football and it was a good time, until somebody popped the ball, so Elder Gherkins and I ran, yeah ran pretty fast, over a mile to the only open store that sells a ball, bought a ball and came back haha, I still had so much energy again that I went and did pull ups and push ups while my companionn bathed and then we watched Kung Fu Panda 2...and yeah...that was my day today, super p day fun stuff :) 

As for the real story...the COBRA! Well, we put the whole compound and all security and personnel on high alert, and heard mutliple stories this week of people encountering the snake -under the cars and in the bushes, but after we had not seen it, we kinda gave up the notion of it and just relaxed...almost was the cause of a short ended mission.... 

Thursday night Elder Nwsou was making some jokes about the snake and things and we were having a good laugh and my body was still hurting me so I got ahead and was in bed early just resting and we said our prayes and everything and I was asleep when apparently Elder Magrangqa remembered the front door was still open and asked Elder Tucker to go close it, so Elder Tucker, already getting into bed went out to go close the door and just started screaming, and we are all just like...man shut up and go to sleep sorta deal, and he is screaming I'm serious, "He's here He's here!" so, I lazily climb out of bed and put my glasses on and oh my gosh there he is slithering around at the bottom of the steps and then...you wouldn't guess. he starts climbing the stairs toward us...what!? is this some horror film! we all started yelling and man it turned back and went off and disappeared into the bushes...needless to say, Friday morning I did not get up to workout outside...no way about that. gosh... 

well...I thought the story had ended there...but, while emailing about 30 minutes ago...we heard commotion outside, and then yes...yes! Confirmed! KILL CONFIRMED! the construction workers had found and battled the snake and WON! so we all went out and danced around like silly white men and took tons of pictures and what not while the africans were all freaked out like it was juju to play with it, and then we lit that sucker on fire and we won!....we won! the snake is dead and we are free! oh, so much peace in my heart. every morning it was so hard to work out knowing that thing was lurking around, but now I have true peace :) 

Well, my testimony of simple service continued as that young girl I contacted last week continued to progress. She was just walking down the street toting her water and I helped her with it and she came to church, made lots of friends, came to our missionary fireside, came to church again, and now has a baptismal date for February...the gospel is so sweet, its so simple, its just love. Love brings miracles, and I come to love mission and the people and members more and more everyday... 

We did have a missionary fireside on Saturday which wasn't too bad, we had over 30 people there, and Elder Nwosu and I did a lot of the instruction, with also some videos as well, and it was really nice and we even had 5 investigators attend! we will be finishing baptizing a family this Saturday, which is very exciting as O. and A. are preparing to be baptized, since the rest of their family baptized inside November. It is finally time for them to be joining them, so we are very excited for that :) tons of expansion in the mission and working on branch and ward splits on the computer and the like and its very exciting here to see the progression of this small country, scary to think I am going to start to have to prepare for a new batch of missionaries in 3 weeks...my oh my I am going to need a whole new box of ibuprofen for that one...Ayayaya!:) 

But, as for my studies today, I gained a valuable lesson on Retention OVER Reactivation as I studied the words of Alma and Moroni on the matter. I am not actually sure of all the scripture quotes but, Alma 59:9 talks about how it was easier to maintain "converts" than to retake them from the "devil" and we learn the same lesson in Proverbs 18:19 (hope those are right) about retaining our converts. Alma 24 something also talks about how dangerous and terrible it is when someone who has come to the greater knowledge falls away and are worse off then they orignally were before you baptized them, which creates such an essential focus on conversion and not baptism. We are practically damning people if we are to baptize them, to have them make covenants with God, when they are not fully prepared and we do not nourish them afterwards, it is dangerous for them, as 2 Nephi 31:14 talks, we can't do that to this wonderful children of God. We need to nourish them, to the point where they can stand as the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's...and be able to stand for the cause of Christ even if it means their lives...that's my little 2 piece for the week... 

Wish I had 2 pieces of pie for reals right now though... 

But, I think that is all for the week, I love you all incredibly much and miss and pray for you continually, thank you for your prayers...I know they work for they are constantly blessing me everyday. 

Love, 
Jesse 
Elder Sumrak 

Cobra!

Hello ALL! I actually did get to catch up on my sleep small, as we had planned to go and teach that lesson, and it was only 5 PM, so I layed down to nap real quick as my companion did...and we both woke up when the other elders came up from the office at 7...so that plan failed haha, but we got to teach ALL day Friday, Saturday, so we got to find so many new people and teach a lot of lessons so we are really enjoying now. I am trying to go to sleep by like 10 now just to save some minutes and its really giving me more strength for the day :) So I am feeling a lot better now!  

And as for workouts...After that brutal one, of course we had to go back Saturday morning and we hit it hard, and just were going quick quick from workout to workout and Elder Magrangqa was like, uh guys I don't feel so hot, I need to use the bathroom...and went with his companion in a hurry back to the compound. Came to find out after our workout, the security guard told us something was wrong with the south african guy...he passed out like dead cold, twice on his way up to the apartment, so we found him just laying there in the parlor like a dead man and managed to get some food and water into him and he has been just fine but hahah...oh silly Elder M...guy gave us a scare though, but no more working out for him hahaha. 

Well...honestly, all that is haunting my mind right now is the experience we had this morning, which still is giving me the shivers. Elder Nwosu and I woke up early and went on our first jog together and went for a good 3-4 miler which was nice and woke us up good, then the whole apartment got to work cleaning up the apartment from the new missionary castastrophe, boy we can never KEEP the place clean for a week haha, but we got it all sparkling and looking good and then I got started on my personal studies when...Elder Tucker came in looking quite scared and told us he went out to the water tanks, and there was a big black snake inside the cage where the water switch is (to pump the bottom tanks to the top tanks/ essential to filling 3 of our 5 tanks. SO we are macho men of course and strong soldiers you know, stripling warriors, so we grabbed some sticks and I had my broom and we had our stones and we marched down to where he said the snake lay, well it's inside this little stone box, inside the gate to the water tanks...so Elder Tucker climbs on top and we all stand outside the gate and are trying to figure out what to do. It just loooks like a normal ol black snake, no big deal, see em all the time, even had one under the car  at one point, even had one in our house in Virginia one time, no big deal right? or so we thought... 

Elder Tucker began by spraying it with some bug spray while we sprayed it from the front...not much happening...so I gave Elder Tucker some matches and he tried doing it flamethrower style...no visible success or stirring...well, Elder Nwosu became impatient and grabbed a long 3 yard stick and stuck it through the gate and into the small cage and then jabbed at it...missed...and jabbed again. and struck hard...oh boy, did we make a mistake. THAT THING FLARED UP, fanning out and just spread out like a BEAST! and then didn't even come out the front, but ran out the side of the cage, where Elder Tucker was on top. Well, Elder Magrangqa, Nwsou and I all dropped our weapons and ran like for the apartment, while poor Elder Tucker is stuck on the cage and the thing starts hissing and holy my its like 3-5 feet long and forces Elder Tucker to retreat on top of the water tank while it is shooting at him, like lightning quick strikes trying to rip that poor Elder to shreds while we are all screaming and have no idea and are panicking out of our minds and it just keeps trying to climb the tank to essentially kill him, but fortunately the tank was too slippery and it couldn't get a grip, so we are throwing stones at it and its gets tired of him and darts at us, and man this thing is coming faster than we can run! and disappears into the bushes in front of us...and doesn't come out...and as of this moment we still have not seen it again, but it took Elder Tucker about 15 minutes to come down and run for the front gate and make his way around for the front door of our apartment, but my oh my that thing was shooting venom! It was a black Cobra, no doubt about it, and not some play play snake, and we are still paranoid about that thing 7 hours later...ah...but before we had entered the gate on our initial attack..I had stopped and said a prayer that if this was something serious that we would all be okay, so I know Heavenly Father was looking out for us...the only problem now is, its not "playing with a snake", its we HAVE to fill these tanks of water up, and there is a snake guarding it haha, so unfortuanately we still have to make frequent trips out there, so we just got as a group to watch out for each other...but small small, we will live :) 

Then, got to go out and play sweet sweet football and I had a great time. Have so much energy today, I was just bouncing around the field and ah, the ball just felt like my buddy today and was like glue to my feet, so it was nice experience and even after 2 hours of it I was just so pumped that I went home and just did pushups and pullups and handstands and now I'm still energized, which is surprising...guess I'll crash soon hahaha. but nice p-day, so excited to go out teaching again this week and we certaainly had many miracles even through our 2 days of proselyting. funny how our efforts turned out. We didn't teach for like 2 weeks really and had 1 investigator at sacrament meeting....then we get to go out for 2 full days and have 6 at sacrament meeting, so I know the Lord is mindful of us and doubling our small efforts to make a big difference!:) The gospel is so sweet and I just have such a great testimony of our Lord and Savior and all that he has done for us.... 

Something that has been bothering me about the people we teach, and definitely is building my patience and tolerance and love, is that they just don't understand apostasy or restoration. They know it, they learn it, and they will tell you its true, and can quote it back to you, but still think they can go to their own church and everything is fine, which just makes me sad. During one lesson with a woman in which we taught the whole restoration, spirit was there, lesson was sweet, accepted a baptismal invitation, and then told us she couldn't come to church Sunday because she had an activity at her church...what? let me get this straight? okay its straight! So, with righteous indignation (as my Professor at BYU loved to talk about in defending all of the Greek heroes of mythology) I was able to tell her how it was, and it was actually a pleasant experience. I have spent a lot of my mission promising blessings, which is beautiful and nice,but I have noticed in the scriptures that is not all the prophets do, they promise blessings, and also promise the consequences of not obeying, which is kinda promising condemnation, or helping understand the steps to it at least, but I know that if we follow the spirit and do it the Lord's way then the work will be done the right way :) PMG (Preach My Gospel) all the way. 

Something I am working on personally at the moment is my thoughts. I don't have immoral or non-virtuous thoughts or anything like that, but just was reading a book "As a Man Thinketh" in the apartment, last night, and it really hit me. I want to become the master of my thoughts and thus control everything else that happens. Is it the time to be thinking that? Does thinking about that aid me in anyway? Why does it matter? why should it take my time? what does it mean to my progression in anyway. Is it worth thinking about? is it worth worrying about? It's been a sweet experience just today alone trying to master it and always think, okay well why am I thinking about that. How important is that? and its just sweet, don't know how to explain it, yeah I'im ranting, what's new, carrying on. 

and what the weather craziness is going on back home, really? it honestly sounds like the Day After Tomorrow or something is going on back home, even the Lauritzens did not have an easy time getting home...took em a couple days :/ we sure do miss them.... 

Have another great week ahead of us and really excited for the work. Have many progressing investigators and even if we didn't I just feel great! Just going out and testifying and doing my best. as I just focus on doing my best, my peace and serenity really increase. I can't control people's agency, I can only go out and do my very best, if they accept, great and I'm very happy. If they don't, I'm working on that part about still being happy :) I just want it to develop kind of into my football mentality. When I play a game, I don't care about the outcome, just that I did my best. If we lose, no problem, as long as I did my best I'll celebrate more than if we win 7-0 and I play terrible. I don't know if thats the right attitude to have...hahaha but, its worth a shot :) I love you all so very much and I have talked far too much, just want to leave my testimony that we all have angels watching over us, and sadly, we have more and more everyday going to the spirit world, but we have more family enter everyday as well, so as our present hosts continue to bless us, and our spirt world friends watch over us, our friendships and relationships only increase to bless our lives as we continue on...something like that right?! :) love you all 


Love, 
Jesse 
Elder Sumrak 

Bonus Email!

Elder Sumrak had the opportunity to email again.  This was sent Thursday, January 9th.

Well, Well, Well! It's Elder Sumrak, or what is left with him. Due to having no P-Day on Monday, I was granted today to be able to get all my shopping and what not done, and decided I would take some time to send a quick e-mail. Monday night was relatively simple. After emailing I went out and juggled the soccer ball for a little bit and got out some stored energy, which I would come to find should have been stored in deep deep supply. Woke up Tuesday morning at 4:45 to help get Elder Manzini and Elder Muthoni out on the road on time to go on out to Bo. We went back to sleep for a little bit and then got up at 6:30 and went over to a little gym we found right outside the chapel compound. Has a bunch of long barbells and a bench, but all of it's really heavy for its individual use/ or at least for me haha, not doing high reps like I am used to but got in some good heavy low ones and we felt great and headed out for the rest of the day...let me tell you now! we are both torn in half hahaha its now Thursday and my whole body is still aching, and I tore various places in my back and have bruises on my shoulders and lower back...what is wrong with me?! I am dying haha and popping Ibuprofen like candy! but, all is well... 

Tuesday, we went down to the office and got to work doing everything we could to prepare for the incoming missionaries. We then had a delicious lunch and testimony meeting with our departing Lauritzens, and it was such a blessing that we got to go and take them across to the airport while picking up the new ones in the process. They are such great people and it was such an honor to be able to serve with them, and I admire them for their faith, their sacrifices, which we will NEVER understand...they went through more then I could ever imagine, and they were so strong and diligent and I love them so much, so I was very priviliged to be able to see them off from the airport...and then we went and President Ostler, Sister Ostler, Elder Nwosu and I all passed out waiting for the new missionaries haha, we were pretty tired...but, finally they arrived, all 22 of them excited and nervous and ready to go! so, we got to go back across the ocean on Sea Coach with them, which is the fast boat and not the ferry, and all of our plans ALMOST worked... (while we're getting calls the whole day about the transfer movements and the catastrophes happening along the way...lost keys. Elders not prepared, drivers not answering calls etc...but in the end it all worked). But, we arrived and everyone grabbed their luggage and all the drivers (who were busy doing transfers all day) showed up right on time to grab all the missionaries...except of course, every seat was full and Elder Nwosu and I got to stay behind :) yeah, funny how that works out...so we waited for about an hour for them to drop off and return to get us, showed up to the chapel and got to eat, before we realized the Sisters had not taken their own luggage, they thought we were taking it, so we hopped back in the car and were driven back to the dock, secured the luggage, came back to the office and helped with whatever work we could. I then accidently put the paper in the wrong way through the laminator, you can imagine how that ended, with a surgery that ended more with a NEW laminator today (thank you Elder Sumrak, we all wanted one...I know I know, no problem, I get the job done!). Well, then after all the Elders and sisters were assigned and taken care of..my work got started. President handed me the new assignments and I hurried to print out the new Mission Roster, then got to work making the newsletter binders (which I could not do until after I had the mission roster )...well, I was in that office with my beloved Elder Tucker who so graciously and selflessly offered to help me, we were there until about 1:30 in the morning...got finished up, crawled upstairs with the other 25+ Elders and crashed... 

Woke up around 4:30 when the Elders started stirring to get ready to go on out to BO/Kenema. So, I got up and made all their breakfast baggies of PB&J and boiled eggs and watermelon and got them all fed and what not and the van came to get them around 6:00. After Elder Tucker's service to me, I was inspired to return the favor, so I found Elder Magrangqa in the office trying to finish everyone's paper work before they left so he knew he had their signatures...so helped him with bank cards until the sun was risen at like 7:00 or so, and went upstairs to help feed and prepare the other 10 Elders still present. Got them all ready and went downstairs to get everything else ready for orientation and the like, and managed to get everything started and what not by 10:30ish...Orientation was so great and President always shares such spiritual messages. Most of it is just made up on the spot, as he doesn't want a programmed orientation, and just goes with the flow sort of, which is fun for me when he asks me to conduct haha :) but, it really was inspiring and helped me out a lot. Elder Nwosu and I got to do some role play for the whole group which is always a bit of fun and we had a great time. then , back up the office to help get all these elders in their different vans and cars and dish them out to their own apartments and areas. Got all that finished by about 4:00 and then got to work on some paperwork. President Ostler came and picked Elder Nwosu, and the dying old man Elder Aniabre (27 years old, just released as a mission elder/branch president) haha and he drove us up to the top of Leicester peak, the highest mountain top in Freetown, and we got to take some pictures, which was a good time :) 

Went down to President's house where Sister Ostler had prepared for us...or bought for us delicious pizza that was amazing! it has been over a year since I had pizza now and BOY was it soooooooooo goood :) so we all enjoyed lots of pizza, pineapple, and vegetables and juice.  We all sat around the table and chatted, while I fell asleep sitting up, and crashed on the couch for a while. Got to hear Elder Aniabre's testimony, which was so awesome considering all of his experiences as branch president and the like, and he really is just an inspired humble missionary. I really admire him and his humility and diligence. All with a big smile as well haha. We then got home around 9:30 and I crashed.... 

Woke up at 4:45 a.m to help Elder Mojaje and his companion get out the door to go to Makeni, and my companion was too tired to even get up, so I did my best, made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with apples and peanuts and then I felt generous and gave them some poptarts (THANK YOU ROBERTSON family :) ) and got them out by 5:10...went back to sleep until 5:45 (MISTAKE) and went and gymed and got my exercise. It was impossible for me to stay awake during personal study, and ended up trying to study standing up, but in the end my head just hit the table haha, but we helped Elder Aniabre out this morning and took him into town to get his bushy hair cut, then take transport down to Sea Coach to put him on the boat to the airport...he looked so good wearing a country cloth vest and not his suit jacket haha, what a bluff man. Well...Elder Kanzler stopped by the supermarket for us...and now I'm done...its all done. I hope its all done. Everyone is where they are supposed to be, and I might get to teach a lesson tonight :) and then I will sleep...and sleep, and it will be great. well that's a quick update on this week, that I thought I would let you know. Isn't my life so boring haha :) I love mission so much and helping out all these new missionaries who have such big and bright expectations, and who woulda thought they can exceed even that in this wonderful country of Sierra Leone. The country of dust, of rain, of no animals, of poverty, of humility, of love :) my country...I love it. I love the gospel, because without it I would be nothing and have no faith or hope for anything. what would be the point? Thank you parents for your testimony, for I would not have gotten my own without you. I love you so much, everyone have a great week! 


Love, 
Jesse
Elder Sumrak 

Happy New Transfers!

Wow, so sweet to see the church's 5 new year resolutions, as some of mine I made are very similiar. I am super excited for this new year and trying to become a better person everyday. I have been so very blessed during my life and these past year/s as a missionary and have had many opportunities to grow, especially in these last 6 weeks. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the plan of salvation. So many deaths are being experienced at the moment, but my knowledge and testimony brings peace to my life and understanding of the gospel. I am happy that auntie Alice can rest in peace now, what a wonderful woman!  

This week has been absolutely crazy and so much has happened and it has honestly been one of the most stressful crazy weeks of my entire mission. So many times I just felt like punching a hole through the wall while I felt someone punching a hole through my head. Monday night we received the zone leaders from Kenema and Bo and we had such a great time, although I didn't get to hangout and talk as much as I would like because of the duties we were doing down in the office till 10:10 at night ,but it was still great to see Elder Stanford, Mills, Despain, my boy Hales, and Symons, and Serafine, Woodhead, and even old compy Jones. What a great time! Tuesday we had our MLC meeting and it was super effective and we talked about some very serious topics and mission changing decisions, so it was a great opportunity to be trusted with my opinion and the opinions of all else and be able to make decisive decisions to make a better change in the work here in this country...sure was nervy though. 

Tuesday night, new years eve, I set my alarm for 11:55 and Elder Jones, Nwosu, and I got up and walked outside to find that the ENTIRE chapel was full of people. The parking lot was full of cars(never seen that before) and the chapel was packed past capactiy, people were sitting in the hall ways down stairs listening as people bore testimony and they sang hymns and they were so strangely reverent as the rest of the town was exploding and shooting fireworks and what not, and here were these great people 25% or more were investigators probably, and here they were at church to start the new year...what a resolution to become better and put CHRIST first in your life. what better way? it was so great :) we had fun and some people saw us watching and started to head our way so we greeted and retreated back into the house of many missionaries and went back to sleep... I had an awful time sleeping because the missionaries got up at 4:00 to get out the door and get out to the east and they were making lots of noise, so yay...January first, missed my alarm and woke up at 7:00.... great way to set off the new year being more obedient right? and missing my workout? hahaha, oh good times :)  

After that was finished, we were set to work on more innovations and more work, especially trying to implement all the decisions that had been made. 

Wednesday...we received transfer news from President Ostler...and then the work began, we had to organize the transfer sheet for the next 3 hours, and president couldn't even send it to us because the internet crashed for the entire week, so he had to drive down from his house just to give it and print it for us, then we worked on it all night making the transfer sheet, woke up the next day and spent the ENTIRE day working out the transfer movements. Its not easy, let me tell you, coordinating drivers and vehicles to move around 157 missionaries in the span of 2 days, but we worked hard and we got it all done, with not too much sleep lost. but some headaches and frustrations and some tempations to give up, but WE DID IT! many pieces of paper thrown away, many heads bashed into the table, but its done, and its going on right now, people are being thrown all around the country and we pray that we made the right decisions. I didn't realize that we had to do it all until I was told, you guys make it up...Uh...I can do that? I have to coordinate all the drivers and what not? But, I hope it all works out...I pray :)  

Sat in the office doing all sorts of work from Wednesday to...well today. we didn't even have p-day today as we have just been in the office. Lets see a crazy list of the stuff I have been doing...Programming phones, printing maps, drawing areas, correcting phone lists, making newsletters, transfer movements, transfer sheets, mission rosters, mission logo, follow up calls, taking care of sick missionaries, setting up nets, dishing out pillows and doxy and water bottles, trying to find which apartments need additional mattresses during the transfers, helping make sure every apartment is ready for the new missionaries, ordering food for orientation, preparing food to feed new missionaires, purchasing tickets and preparing transport for the sea boat and bus, wow it has been complete insanity...and its almost over...or actually the fun is just beginning but, we are doing out best :) created a pretty nifty letter with Sister Ostler, which took SIX versions until it was perfected to her liking, which was fun as I got to learn word better, and frustrating as I murdered probably 10 loving trees...but small small, its getting done. 

excuse my vexing, i really am a happy person :) 

So, continued to revise and do this work and then got to go to church and take the sacrament and have a FUN time with our bishop in coordination meeting...oh can't wait to tell that story one day... then actually got to go teach a lesson! to one sweet girl, whose name is H B and she has been coming for the past 3 weeks now and she is so great! 

Today, set up nets and what not and been in the office just preparing things all day, and finally have a minute to message my family which is very sweet :) I love you all and hope you have a wonderful new year. Happy 2014, so good to be in 2014! I come home this year hahah 

well, everyone have a wondeful 2014, love you all so much! 

Love, 
Jesse
Elder Sumrak