Sick week

Yep, I was sick for a good portion of the week. And it sucked.

Monday- We went bowling again at ECU. 

Tuesday- We contacted a referral we had received like a month ago, and he was very interested. We didn't have much time, but we scheduled a return appointment. We had another really good lesson with Paul and Susan. We taught the Word of Wisdom, and resolved a lot of their concerns.

Wednesday- Today was the day I got sick. Apparently there's a virus going around, and it was my turn to get it. I called our mission nurse and I was told to stay inside and keep hydrated. During the off time, Elder Zonts built me a new bike. Yeah you read that correctly, a new bike. He took some parts from my bike, and put them on a bike frame that someone had left.

Thursday- We had Zone Conference today. The area doctor (Doctor Dunn) and his wife came and spoke about stress. They said that 85% of illnesses are connected to stress. So I wasn't sick, I was stressed. I got a lot of insight on what I can do to become a better missionary.

Friday- We taught the Restoration to the referral (Earnest Ray). He said that he had been seeking knowledge from the Bible. We told him about Joseph Smith and he got really interested. We had a lesson with Derrick Johnson. Before the lesson began, he left the house, then came back and told us that he went and asked his neighbor if he wanted to come join in our lesson!!! This man is beautiful. We had a really good discussion.

Saturday- We had dinner with a member and she invited her friend (a former investigator) to dinner, so we got to meet him and talk with him a bit. And ECU beat UNC 70-41. GO PIRATES!!!!!!!

Sunday- We had Ward Conference. President Walker and his two counselors spoke and their talks were all really powerful. I could go on all day about the insight that I received, but ain't nobody got time for that. I will share a quote that I really liked. One of the counselors spoke about stress, which I've been under a lot lately. He said "Sometimes the Lord calms the seas, sometimes the Lord calms the Sailors." We are agents to act. We choose whether or not to be stressed. A scripture that I really like that talks about being calm is found in D&C 101:16 "For all flesh is in my hands; be still, and know that I am God."

Shout Out to Annalee and Sam. You two made my day with your letter.

That's all for now. I'm still recovering a bit, but it now looks like I'm in the clear. Elder Zonts and I are so alike, it's pretty ridiculous. I Love You All. Seek the Lord diligently, and he will bless you.

With Love,

It was a week...

Yep a full seven days. 168 hours. I'm really hyper today, so a good chance that half of this is not going to make sense. 

Monday- We totally went bowling. ECU has a deal on mondays, $1 games!!! (and played ping-pong apparently) We got pretty drenched while we were out biking. It was awesome. haha

Ping Pong is not my game

Tuesday- We were biking to do some service for one of our investigators, and my tire popped about 1 mile away. We once again got drenched. We saw Paul and Susan that night and had a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (totally spelled that right) lesson. We took a member of the stake high council with us, and he is just a spiritual giant. He told them things that they needed to hear. Susan committed to be baptized when she was ready, but Paul of course did not. 

Pretty and wet

Wednesday- We had a lesson with a recent convert named Tommy. We're working on getting him ready to go do baptisms for the dead in October. After our lesson, he wanted us to go with him to Salvation Army. We had a lesson with Sister Hunt. She is just too golden. We taught her the Plan of Salvation, and she told us that everything we told her was spiritual confirmation for what she already knew. She also loved the way we presented it. With Love.

Thursday- Today was rough. All of our appointments cancelled and nobody wanted to talk to us. We did help a Sister in the 1st ward get some stuff moved.

Friday- Tonight was pretty crazy. A recent convert in our ward wants us to teach her son the lessons before his baptism (he's 8). We taught him the Restoration, and tied it into Football (I don't know how, but it worked). We went and saw Derrick Johnson and talked with him for a bit. On our way out, we got stopped by the cops. They were the drug force assigned to Derrick's neighborhood. They asked us what we were doing, and we told them we were missionaries. We were finally allowed to go, and one of them said "I really respect what you guys are doing, keep up the good work." It was pretty awesome.

Saturday- Sister Hunt committed to going to a baptism in Lil Washington (I'm so hood it's awesome haha). It's about a half hour drive. We were scrambling all day to try to find a ride, so we could go with her. We found one at the very last minute. Super miracle. She really enjoyed the baptism, which was super good.

Sunday- We gave the lesson in Gospel Principles during Sunday School. The lesson was on the law of chastity...so yeah. I refuse to disclose any further information about the lesson. We went out with a member to try and contact a less active on his home teaching route. We knocked on his door a couple of times, but no answer. We were writing him a note, and using a flashlight to help us see. As we were getting ready to leave, a screen door just slams open and this lady yells "Who are you, what do you want?" We told we were looking for her husband. She said he wasn't there, then she proceeded to wave a gun in front of us and said, "Don't do that!!! I saw someone shining a light through my door. I was ready to shoot someone." Pretty scary stuff. First time I've seen a gun on my mission, which is kind of surprising cause I work in the hood.

It was certainly an interesting 168 hours. Elder Zonts is super awesome. We are kindred spirits in a lot of ways. We basically blood brothers. Anyway, love you all. Excuse my hyperactivity. I don't know how to turn it off. Love you all. 

Love,

Elder (Doominator) Dumont

                 ^

That's my bowling name.

New Beginnings

Monday- We had a lesson with our investigator Terry, who we hadn't seen in a while. We got in there and Elder Terril just started rebuking him and basically told him to get his crap together. It was Awesome!!!

Tuesday- There was a mission leadership conference call today. Every single Elder in my district is either a zone leader or a district leader for next transfer (except me of course). Everybody just came over to our apartment and did the call, so I just sat on the couch and wrote in my journal.

Wednesday- Probably the most stressful day of my mission. We had so many people to see, and not enough time to see them all. We had a lesson with Sister Hunt about listening to the Spirit. She still doesn't want to set a date for her baptism, but she'll pray about it.

Thursday- Transfers!!! Elder Terril and Elder Seastrand took a couple hours to pack, then we left for the church. The transfer van was super late, so that gave us some more time. I got to talk to Elder Siddoway for a while. That man is such a man. The transfer van finally showed up and I met Elder Zonts. He is awesome!!! Elder Morgan is Elder Coy's new companion. He is hilarious. I said goodbye to Elder Terril, then we went home. We had a dinner with a member family, then we went and taught Kent. We had a super good lesson with Kent and helped him see how much love God has for him personally.

Elder Terril

Elder Seastrand

Friday- Tonight was rough. We were going back and forth on our bikes, trying to find people to teach. No body could talk tonight, but we did set up a lot of appointments, and our legs got a good workout, cause we are men.

Saturday- We went to BOB (Breakfast Out Back) at Brother Sellars place. He does this every year in anticipation for the Collard Festival of Ayden. Ayden is a small town, whose claim to fame is Collards. Elder Zonts got to talk to a lot of members. We went back later in the evening to try to talk to people at the festival, but it was to loud.

Elder Zonts and Elder Dumont at the Garden of Ayden

Sunday- There were three baby blessings today. During one of them, the baby started wailing, and they couldn't get her to stop, so they decided to do it after Sacrament. As soon as they got off of the stage, the baby stopped crying haha. I think someone is afraid of being of being in the spotlight. It was pouring rain while we were biking. We went and visited Brother Johnson. He thought we were insane. He's such a funny guy. We got super drenched. It was legendary.

So...yep. Elder Terril is out, and Elder Zonts is in. Elder Zonts is a super good missionary. I'm really excited for this transfer. Our teaching pool is kind of diminished right now, but things are starting to look brighter.

Love you all. 

Elder Dumont

Transfer Calls

I could tell you what's happening, but where would the fun be in that. I'll make you work for it mhuahaha.

Monday- Started the week off with a miracle. A member of the ward called us to see if we could go with him to give a blessing. It was going to be at the hospital, where he works. He forgot his badge, but we still went to see if we could get in through the worker's entrance and the door was unlocked!!! He was shocked cause he's gone through that door hundreds of times and it has never been unlocked!!! What a way to start the week.

Tuesday- We had dinner with the Garns (super awesome) and then had a meeting with the Bishop. We went to see a man named Dennis. We took a member with us named Brother Shaver and he was awesome. The first thing Brother Shaver said to Dennis was, "I'm giving a talk on Sunday and would love it if you were able to attend." Invitation right at the beginning!!! What a guy.

Wednesday- Our investigators Paul and Susan are moving to Raleigh, so we spent the entire morning helping them move some stuff to storage. They won't be leaving for a few weeks, so that's good. We had a lesson with Sister Hunt and we really had a powerful lesson. She committed to be baptized, but she just doesn't want to set a date right now.

Thursday- Another crazy morning. Elder Terril had a doctor's appointment. We were running around all morning. It was pretty hectic. We went and taught a lesson to a less active boy and his mom (she's an investigator) and had a really powerful lesson. They've been flaky in the past, so we'll see what happens.

Friday- We contacted a few formers and that did a lot of good. Every single one we contacted was super happy to see us. It was just wonderful.

Saturday- We went and did service early in the morning for David and the people that he lives with. They weren't there for it, which was kind of annoying. We haven't seen David since his baptism. We cleaned up their front yard, cause it was a mess. We finished and we went to a restaurant called Sup Dogs. Pictures to come from it. We got home and helped our new neighbor across the street move in his couches. After we finished talking with him, we got a call from President Baker. Elder Terril is leaving!!!!!!! He's going up to Newport News Virginia to be a Zone Leader and he's also going to be training. My new companion will be Elder Zonts from Idaho. He's coming down from Newport News. Elder Seastrand is also getting transferred. I think that there's only one companionship in the entire district that's staying together.

Cheese Fries Burger from Sup Dogs

Sunday- A lot of people were sad to hear that Elder Terril is leaving. We visited a Sister that we had been working with and she gave Elder Terril a UNC shirt, cause their his favorite team in North Carolina (ECU is way better).

So that's that. Elder Zonts will be here on Thursday. I've heard that he's a lot like me, so I'm a little nervous about that haha. I love you all. Have a blessed week

Love,

Elder Dumont

It was a week!

Things were pretty slow this week. A lot of people were out of town.

Monday- We surrendered a few hours of P-Day to help a referral move in. We were able to teach her and her mom a little bit. The mom works at an apartment complex in Raleigh and some missionaries live there so she's talked to missionaries before.

Tuesday- We learned how to do family history work, which was super exciting. Brother and Sister Fox just returned from their mission at the family history center in Salt Lake.

Wednesday- We spent a lot of time doing service. We helped a lady change her flat tire, then we went to this place called My Sister's Attic. It's a non profit organization that sells donated furniture and other items.

Thursday- I learned today that I apparently can play "God Speed the Right" on the piano which was pretty cool. I just turned to it and started playing and viola. I guess that's the Lord magnifying my talents. We committed our investigator Sister Hunt to a church tour and to attend a baptism.

Friday- We had exchanges. I was with Elder Coy. We had a full day planned, then pretty much everything fell through. We went onto the ECU campus to help the students moving in. Whoever we helped, we gave them a card with the YSA information on it. It was a really cool experience. We had a lesson with Brother Kukahiko. We talked about the family proclamation and committed his wife  (non member) to reading it. Brother Kukahiko told us that 6 months ago, he never would have thought that he would have missionaries in his home. You never know who the Lord is preparing.

Saturday- President and Sister Baker came and inspected the apartment. They shared a quick thought and then moved on to the next. We had committed three people to do a church tour that night and not one of them showed up. It was very disappointing, but we were undeterred. We visited our investigator Brother Johnson. He wants to be the one to teach his family. In order for us to gain a better understanding, Elder Terril related the situation to ham and it made me so hungry haha.

Sunday- There was a priesthood stake conference meeting on missionary work. It was very inspired. They had all of the brethren write down someone that they would have in their home for a lesson from us. I saw a brother who had just recently moved in write down like, 5 names. It was awesome.

This is the last week of the transfer. The last 6 weeks have just flown by. We will be getting transfer calls on Saturday (dum, dum, dum). Also, we will be getting a new address starting on the 8th of September. We're moving to a new apartment, but the Spanish Elders are staying in the apartment we have right now. I'll try to get the address for next week. Have a blessed week one and all.

Elder Dumont

Loving the BBQ

Real Carolina Q

First Baptism!!!!!!!!

David Swierzynski is officially a member of the Lord's church!!!!!

Monday- All of the Elders in Greenville (us, the Spanish, and the 1st ward Elders) had dinner at the stake president's house. He is a really good guy. He has the biggest southern draw ever. After dinner, we went and visited Sister Hunt. She reminds me so much of my dear Grandma Duffin. I just about broke out into tears.

Tuesday- We had to go on an exchange with the Spanish cause we had two lessons at the exact same time. Elder Seastrand and I taught Dave about the Baptismal covenant. Elder Terril and Elder Coy taught Brother Kukohiko. It was a pretty crazy night.

Wednesday- We got new flooring in the apartment today! The downside is that we had to stay near the apartment to help them move stuff. We weren't really able to do much. We did get to visit a couple of investigators and contact a referrel, but that was pretty much it.

Thursday- We visited Kent Newcome. He's been really discouraged lately, cause he has trouble comprehending scripture. We volunteered to call him each morning, and read and explain a scripture with him. He really appreciated that.

Friday- We had our planned exchange. I, once again, was with Elder Seastrand. We had a really awesome day. We met with Dave again and talked about enduring to the end. We visited Brother Kukohiko and had a really powerful lesson with him. He's really making progress and has a really strong desire to change for his children. Our last stop of the night was to our investigator Derrick Johnson. He wasn't his usual talkative self. He's going through a really tough time right now. We talked a lot about faith. He says he can tell that we our servants of our Heavenly Father through the spirit. We gave him a priesthood blessing. We made a quick stop at McDonald's. While we were there, I talked with this guy about the church. He said that I was the second guy that day to talk to him about the church. 

Saturday- Dave's Baptism!!!!! He was so excited. Elder Terril and I gave the talks for him. Bishop Finlayson baptized him. When he came up out of the water, he raised his fist in the air and shouted "I did it!!" hahahahahaha He cracks me up. It was such a wonderful experience to see him change. From the get go he wanted to be baptized. He was super prepared. The gospel has made him a much happier guy.

Dave with Elder Terril and Elder Dumont

       

Sunday- Dave got confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was all smiles today. That night, we went and visited Kent again. He wanted us to listen to a song that he says describes his life. Afterwards, I felt prompted to open up to the Parable of the Prodigal Son. After we read it, he asked me "How did you know?" He had been on the phone with his son seconds before we came to his door. He said that the Parable really related to his situation with his son. He really opened up to us. I love him so much. He is such a great guy.

Being a missionary is by far the greatest thing I've ever done in my life. I love watching people become happier because of my efforts in bringing them the gospel. There is no possible way to describe the joy that I felt when David was baptized. This really is the kingdom of God on Earth. Joseph Smith was called of God to bring forth his kingdom. The world has been blessed because of the humble and faithful prayer of a 14 year old farm boy living in little old Palmyra, New York. This gospel is a gospel of love, just as our Heavenly Father is a God of love. I love all of you. Thanks for reading through my ridiculously long post. haha I'll try to keep it shorter next time, but probably not. Keep the faith, and the Lord will pour out his blessings upon you.

Love,

Elder Dumont

Greatest Weekend Ever!!!

To get to the weekend, ya'll are going to have to read through the weekdays as well.

Monday- A member of the ward, Brother Warren, took us to go see one of his coworkers and help her move some stuff from the attic to her room. They are both professors at ECU. Her name is Carol Greene. She loves the Osmonds. We had to give a quick lesson so we could make it home on time. We set a return appointment and she's excited to have us back.

Tuesday- We did deep cleaning. That was pretty much it. We did do a lesson with Dave. During our lesson, Bishop Finlayson pulled Elder Terril out (I was with another member, don't worry) and introduced him to a guy named Derrick Johnson. He just randomly showed up at the church. We set an appointment up with him.

Elder Turtle

Wednesday- We met with a less active named Brother Kukohiko. The lesson with him was awesome. The Spirit was so strong. He said he wanted to keep meeting with us. We'll eventually pass him off to his home teachers.

Thursday- We spent some time down in Ayden (about 20 minutes south of Greenville). A kind woman didn't want to talk to us, but she gave us a couple of water bottles. We weren't 20 feet from her house when a mailman randomly drove up to us and gave us a Fuze berry drink. Super awesome. We met a few less actives and then had dinner at a member's home.

Friday- Now the good stuff can begin. We had another lesson with Dave. We are kind of rushing through the lessons cause he had to have his interview on Saturday if he wanted to meet his date. We've only been teaching him for a few weeks. This is awesome. We ate dinner at the Robinson's, a part-member family. Sister Robinson is the member. She invited a boy named Khylique, who we've been trying to meet with for a few weeks. We had a really awesome lesson. Half of it was focused on Khylique, and the other half was on Boris Robinson (the husband). Both of them really felt the Spirit. 

Saturday- David passed his Baptismal Interview!!!! He's super excited for it. We met up with Derrick Johnson that night. What a lesson!!! The Spirit was so strong. He's an awesome guy. When we told him what he would do if the priesthood keys were back on the Earth, he started dancing. When we got to the first vision, I looked him dead in the eyes. He looked like he was hit with a ton of bricks. Elder Terril, Brother Rice, and I bore our testimonies over and over. He wants us to come back and share this message with his family. THE SPIRIT IS THE TEACHER.

Sunday- A lot of the people that we had been working with were there at church. It felt really good to see how much of an impact we have made on people. David is getting really excited for his baptism. We gave a lot of blessings today. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to give Priesthood blessings. They are such a testimony builder for everyone involved.

You may think that this is weird, but I decided to not write in my journal one night and the Spirit rebuked me pretty hardcore. Heavenly Father must have a purpose for my journal. I love you all to bits. Never lose faith in our Heavenly Father. Whenever you are going through sore trials always remember that these trials will ultimately be for your good. "For all flesh is in my hands. Be still, and know that I am God." (D&C 101:16) Keep the faith.

Con amor,

Elder Dumont