First Week of Training

Wednesday- We went and had dinner at the Gilland's house. We had a coordination meeting after dinner, and I almost broke down. I was having a lot of doubts about training. Brother Gilland is awesome. He calmed me down and assured me that I would have the Branch's full support.

Thursday- We drove to Portsmouth and I had a trainer meeting. After that meeting, the new missionaries all walked in. President Baker announced the companionships one by one. My greenie is Elder Sanderson from Nampa, Idaho. Greenie magic is real. We had a dinner appointment and the sister we were eating with gave us a good list of people we could visit, some less active and some non member.

Elder Sanderson

Friday- We had district meeting today. We now have sisters in our district. They are in Gloucester. We did service at the thrift shop, then went and had dinner with the Bairds. We talked a lot about their home teaching families and their friend that they're working with. 

Saturday- We went and did service for Brother Grimes. We cleared part of his wicked long driveway of ice and snow. We visited a couple of families that we've been working with. 

Not the Grimes driveway, but a lot of snow.

Sunday- Elder Sanderson got to teach Gospel Essentials his first Sunday in the mission and he did an excellent job. This is going to be an easy training. We visited some less actives and called a couple of potential investigators. Lots of good things happening.

Spiritual thought- In chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel, we find the 5 lessons that we teach investigators before they can be baptized. Lesson 4 contains the commandments. One such is to Follow the Prophet. In the first paragraph of the section, it talks about how the Truth does not change, no matter what day and age you live in. The Prophet today is preaching the same gospel that Jesus, Adam, Moses, and all of the other prophets taught. God is the source of all truth and he is not a changeable God, therefore his truth is not changeable. Attempting to change truth is apostasy.

I love you all. Have a blessed week.

Love,

Elder Dumont

I've heard of a pink cadillac, but a pink ambulance?

Wild Wild Week

This week was crazy.

Monday- I went on an exchange with Elder Tortorici and we went to the Turner's house for my birthday dinner. It was a pretty crazy night. Just look at the pictures to come.

Tuesday- Elder Tortorici and I went and contacted some potentials and formers. We had a little bit of success. We talked to this one guy who was being taught last year. He is super solid.

Wednesday- We met with the a less active family. We helped them establish a family vision, with some goals and plans.

Thursday- We went to do some service, but it started snowing, so the member we were with decided to take us to a steakhouse instead. We went and visited the Shortts that night and had just an amazing lesson. We didn't really have a lesson plan, we just went completely by the Spirit. It was super sweet.

Friday- We went and helped some members in Gloucester with some service with the Gloucester Elders. It was the last time we would see Elder Friend on the mission.

Saturday- This is where things got wild. A guy that Elder Black taught in his last area got baptized, so we went down to Norfolk to see it. On our way back to New Kent, we stopped in Hampton and got some grub. When the member tried to start the car, it wouldn't start. We had to get a new battery. We finally got on our way. Just before we got home, we got transfer calls. Elder Black is going down to Clayton North Carolina. I'm staying in New Kent. I won't know who my new companion is until Thursday due to the fact the I'll be that missionary's first companion. I'll be his trainer. Since Elder Black was leaving, we went and said goodbye to some people. The wind was blowing really strong and it blew over a powerline. The power line was in a median and it caught all of the trees and grass on fire. Some of the flames made their way to the road when we drove past. We literally drove through smoke and flames and it was nuts!!

Sunday- Elder Black had a lot of packing to do. During Sacrament Meeting, I had to be the substitute music conductor. 

Monday- A wicked bad storm hit us last night. We got about 6 inches of snow. Not too bad for Utah, but for Virginia, it's like the apocalypse. 

Spiritual thought: "Being mistreated is the most important condition of mortality, for eternity itself depends on how we view those who mistreat us." (James L. Ferrell) Many of the trials we will go through will be because of the misdeeds of another person. The test will be for us to forgive those that had wronged us. Christ himself declared that we are to forgive all those that have wronged us. He himself forgave all mankind for all of their sins. When we refuse to forgive, we are basically saying that the Lord's atonement wasn't good enough. That his payment of the sin wasn't enough. When we choose to forgive, we are set free from a heavy burden. When we forgive, we allow the power of the atonement to fill our souls. 

That's all for now. This will be the first time that a missionary has been trained in this area for a long while, so this aught to be interesting. Love you all. Have a great week.

Elder Dumont

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What a Nice Cake!

Then somebody smashed his face in it!

Turns out it was a magical cake!

Because the Elder was turned into a princess! 

Happy Birthday to me I guess

Big News: I've decided to forgo my birthday this year. Still 19

Birthday Slurpee

Tuesday- We did deep cleaning, not an easy thing with our luxurious apartment. 

Wednesday- Deep cleaned some more. We also got to teach Jimmy. We taught the law of the fast and the Word of Wisdom. We then invited him to fast with us on Sunday and to go without cigerettes as well. 

Thursday- Weekly planned and finally finished deep cleaning. I forgot my notes so I literally have no idea what happened during the first part of the week.

Friday- Zone Meeting. President Baker came out with a structered way to do weekly planning. It's definitely different but I'm ready to try it out. I exchanged with Elder Friend. I took him to the two craziest people in the branch, Sister Turner and Brother Grimes. We helped Brother Grimes move some stuff he got in an estate sale, which included a piano. Sister Turner taught Elder Friend how to play a hymn on the ukelele.

Saturday- We exchanged back. Elder Black got a ticket for speeding. We went and did service at the Thrift Shop, then went out to dinner with Jimmy and Bro. Mays for Jimmy's birthday (everybody's having birthdays right now and it's ridiculous). I talked a lot with Bro. Mays and it really seemed to help him be less lonely. His wife is in a nursing home.

Sunday- Testimony meeting was all about temples and family history. Us, Bro. Mays, and Jimmy were all fasting that Jimmy would receive an answer to his prayers. We had dinner with the Bud family and I made friends with their pet bunny. They call me the bunny whisperer.

The Bunny Whisperer

Spiritual thought- Hymn #335 Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy. This is our official mission song, instituted by Sister Baker. The lyrics tell us that the Lord cares about all of his children. Many of his children are "poor fainting, struggling seaman." The Lord gives us the keeping "of his lights along the shore." We are to be a beacon to those who are lost or struggling. That is what the Lord expects of us. Be an example. Reach out to others who are struggling. "Send a gleam across the wave. Some poor fainting, struggling seaman you may rescue, you may save."

It was a slower week. We're getting transfer calls this week, so we'll see what happens. Love you all. Have an awesome week.

Elder Dumont

Can't explain this one

Week and Stuff

Monday- Miracle!! We were at the church changing from our P-Day clothes to our Proselyting clothes, and Brother Mays showed up. Jimmy is Bro. Mays great-nephew and he's living with him, so we took this as a sign. We went and had a lesson completely by the Spirit. We were able to understand where he was coming from, and where we are coming from. It was sweet.

Tuesday- We taught Jimmy again. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He made some really good comments.

Wednesday- We tracted a lot with very little success. We were blessed however. We visited some Part-Member families and found some people that are interested in having the discussions. We went home teaching with Bro. Gilland and Bro. Mays to another part-member family. The husband isn't a member but he invited us to come over whenever.

Thursday- We did service for Bro. Grimes all day.

Friday- We went and did service for the Thrift Store near our place for a while. We then went and visited Benny, a less-active.

Saturday- Crazy stuff. We had stake conference, and there was a priesthood leadership session at 4. We thought we were invited, but apparantly only zone leaders were invited. We had gotten a ride down there and were left to study for a couple of hours. We left to head back up to New Kent to watch the Adult Session at our building, but we hit traffic. We stopped for dinner, then everything cleared. We didn't get up there until 8:30ish. We were able to catch the last 30 minutes.

Sunday- More trouble. They had technical difficulties, so we missed half of the Sunday session. I had my name mentioned, but I didn't even get to hear it. They part I did hear was really great though. The area seventy came and spoke.

Spiritual thought: 1 Nephi 8 The Tree of Life. I want to focus on the Iron Rod and the 3 groups of people that made their way to the Tree of Life. The Iron Rod represents the Word of God or the scriptures and words of modern day prophets and apostles. There was no mention of the Iron Rod with the 1st group, meaning that they ignored it. They never found their way to the Tree and they were lost. The 2nd group pressed forward "clinging to the iron rod." Elder Bednar explains the significance of the word clinging. He says that clinging to the iron rod means occasionaly reading the scriptures. When this group of people made it to the Tree, they couldn't take all of the mocking and teasing that they faced from those in the great and spacious building. They wandered off into "forbidden paths and were lost." The 3rd group pressed forward "continually holding fast to the rod of iron until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree." They did not fall away, because they always heeded the scriptures and studied them frequently. This group had protection from all of Satan's temptation. We can all have that same protection. If we always read the scriptures, we will always have protection. It we sometimes read the scriptures, we will sometimes have protection. If we don't read the scriptures, we won't be protected. My prayer is that all of you heed the counsel of the prophets, in modern and ancient time. I wish for all of you to receive that protection that is promised from reading the scriptures. I love you all.

Elder Dumont