Christmas Week

Monday- We got together with some kids in the ward and Brother Cummins, and we had a huge Nerf Gun War. It was a blast.

That's how we roll!

That's a lot of Nerf guns

Tuesday- I went on an exchange with Elder McCleary and it was sweet. We did some tracting and saw a wide variety of interesting people. We got a few potentials. We were biking to contact this guy, and I popped a tire. I looked at the culprit, and it was a razor blade. A legit razorblade!!! We got a ride home from Brother Florentino, then went to dinner at Wendy's. A guy came up to us and gave us a pass along card for his faith haha. It was sweet. We taught one of their investigators a quick lesson. It was a really good day.

Wednesday- Brother Florentino came and fixed my tire. And by fixed, I mean bought me a new tube and tread!!! He is the man. We went caroling a little bit, but then we had to be back home. We did get to spend the evening with the Cooks. They are preparing to give a talk in church, their first one!!!

Thursday- Christmas!!!!!!! Yes, Santa visits missionaries. We had a conference call Christmas Devotional, which was sweet. Afterwards, we opened presents with the other Elders. We got picked up for breakfast with the Piggot's. They had a way sweet spread. We chatted a little bit, then went to the Sommerville's for lunch. They had invited the Cooks over, so it was a way sweet meal. Brother Sommerville ordered BBQ from this place in Kansas City that's supposed to have the best BBQ in the nation. It was real good. We played some games and learned how to make a bowtie out of a normal tie. From there, it was on to Brother Cummin's, where we got to Skype our dear families. That was a super sweet tender mercy. My family is straight awesome. We played some games, then came home.

Friday- We had district meeting. A little later in the day, we went to teach a lady Elder Brimley found on his exchange with Elder Aitken. We taught her a little bit, then tried to contact some others. We had dinner with the Maxwell's and their friends.

Saturday- We had another lesson with Sherril. We read the account of Ammon and King Lamoni with her. We did some street contacting, then we had to head home, cause my knee wasn't having anymore of it. Darn physical limitations.

Sunday- The Cooks gave their talks and they were way good. Brother Cook talked about his conversion story and asked everybody to bare with him as he continues to learn and grow. He is the bomb. After church, we went to eat at the Foot's home. We had a really good gospel discussion with Brother Foots and his son Harry (the RM). We watched the Restoration video with them and bore testimony, like the good missionaries that we are.

A quick spiritual thought that came from the talks given in church. There were 4 short talks given, all about gratitude. The biggest thing that I collected is that gratitude isn't an event, it's a state of mind. When we have the right state of mind, we can really begin to see the hand of the Lord in all things. From the good times to the bad times, we can see the hand of the Lord.

This was a really good week, and the work is starting to pick up a little bit. We have transfer calls happening on Saturday, so fingers crossed. Love you all. Have a great week.

Love,

Elder Dumont

'Twas the Week Before Christmas!

And this is why I am not an author.

Monday- We taught a member family named the Foots. They have a son who came home from his mission this week. They are such an awesome family. They would not stop feeding us food haha. I was stuffed, and they just kept bringing more. First World Problems.

Tuesday- We did a lot of service today. We helped one family move out, then we helped an elderly couple with some stuff, and then they helped Elder Brimley with a little project he's working on.

Wednesday- We went to a graduation for one of the soldiers on Ft. Eustis. He's so funny. We went and helped the Grimmius' set up Family Home Evening for the Night Hawks, but no one came. We were all set up for that night though. Family Home Evening with the Soldiers is so much fun.

Soldier Graduation

Thursday- I went to see the Doctor. He took a look at my knee. Bottom line, he isn't exactly sure what is wrong with me, but he has a couple of ideas. I will probably have to go and see a Sports Medicine Orthopedic specialist.

Friday- We had Christmas Conference, and it was a blast. President Baker let us watch The Polar Express. It was super swell. During lunch, my district performed a variation of 12 days of Christmas, called the 12 weeks of Training haha. It was fun, but exhausting. We had a chapel session. It was a bit of a talent show, but there was a lot of reverence shown. We heard messages from Sister Baker, President Baker, and President Hancock. We got some goodies, then scooted on home for our ward Christmas Party. They made sure to send us home with a lot of stuff. We have an entire ham in our fridge haha.

Goobering around at Christmas Conference.

Saturday- Today started out super stressful. We had apartment inspections, we helped somebody move a few items from a storage unit to on base, and we had District Meeting, all in the morning. We were hustling and bustling all over the place. Then, our ride back home from District Meeting had an emergency, so we were making a bunch of calls. We finally were able to get home and destress a bit. The Piggot's took us to a restaurant called Plaza Azteca. It is a super bueno Mexican place. Afterwards, they took us to see the lights in the Park. They were so pretty.

Sunday- It was the homecoming for Brother Tse-Sue. We were asked to sing with the Foots Family and we did really well. After church, we went to eat with the Marshall Family, then we headed over to the open house for Brother Tse-Sue. He's so sweet.

I've in the part of the Book of Mormon where Christ comes to minister to the people. I have felt such a sweet spirit as I've read through it. I want to bare my testimony, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He atoned for all of the pains, sicknesses, and sins of the world. He is the reason for our joy this season. Heavenly Father truly loves each and every one of us. Let us remember Christ's life, from the Manger to the Cross, this Christmas. Merry Christmas to everyone. Love you all.

Elder Dumont

Elder Snow Visit

Elder Snow of the seventy came to visit the mission. Details to come.

Tuesday- It was a pretty slow day. My knee was acting bonkers so we weren't able to get out much. We did get to eat dinner at the Piggot's home. They are just a riot. They have two kids on missions right now (sound familiar?).

Wednesday- It was a service day. We went and helped some members move some boxes around. They are really sweet people. They love the gospel. We also helped our Relief Society President put some lights up for a non-member. After that, we went to Ft. Eustis. There weren't very many soldiers there, but we had a lot of fun.

Thursday- Today was Zone Conference. This is the meeting Elder Snow presided in. There were a lot of things to be learned. President Baker focused on working with members during this Christmas season. They gave a lot of counsel from the scriptures. Elder Snow had us prepare 5 minute talks on Faith, then he had a few missionaries give them. He gave us tips on how we can improve when giving talks. After lunch, we heard from Sister Snow. She gave some really good advice. Elder Snow then gave some tips for when we return home. It was funny to see the older missionaries react. I still got a while Oh Yeah!!! I learned a lot from Zone Conference. I got to see Elder Terril for the first time in forever haha. We had a lesson with the Cooks. We just read out of the Book of Mormon, but it was definitely good for him.

Friday- We barbequed with Elder McCleary and Elder Aitken. It was a ton of fun. We went and helped set up for the "Night in Bethlehem." We helped the Piggot's set up a tree in the foyer and it was beautiful.

Saturday- We helped the Piggot's put lights up on their house. We then went and had a training on navigating Family Search so we can help investigators and less actives set up an account and get them started, then hand them off to consultants. We went to the Night in Bethlehem after we finished. We had a ton of fun. I touched a Llama hahaha.

Sunday- Church was amazing, per the norm. I'm really liking this ward. They are so wonderful and great. We went to eat dinner at the Staton's house after church. Their son is so funny. His name is Frederick. I love it. He kept trying to sit on my lap, so I grabbed some of his toys and warded him off haha.

My spiritual thought is in the Spirit of the season. I was pondering on the meaning of the phrase: "The Spirit of Christmas." I came to the conclusion, that the Christmas Spirit and the Holy Ghost are one and the same. The Christmas season is the time when most people feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. Why? Our hearts are turned to the birth of Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost gives us feelings of Peace. We can feel the "Spirit of Christmas" throughout the year, by turning our hearts to the Savior. Jesus is the Christ. He is the Prince of Peace. He is our Redeemer, and he is our Older Brother.

Finally got a picture of Chesapeake Bay, now need to get a non-blurry one.

Last full week before Christmas. What are ya'll doing to remember him? I'd love to hear from all ya'll (proper southern right there). Have a glorious week. I love you all.

Elder Dumont

I guess it's almost Christmas or something

There seems to be a lot of excitement over this new video called He is the Gift. Might be worth checking out haha. http://christmas.mormon.org

Monday- We did a lot of Less Active work this week. We met with Brother Broussard. His wife is a recent convert. We got to know him a little better. He's a really funny guy.

Tuesday- We had dinner with the Trivott's. A less-active couple. They know a lot about their family history and history in general. Brother Trivott has an authentic Piece of Eight, you know, like pirates. He got it from a legit pirate ship. It was sweet.

Wednesday- So I think that I mentioned that we help out with an army branch. Well, most of the soldiers that go to it are at Ft. Eustis for helicopter mechanic stuff. Every Wednesday, there's a graduation. We went to that and it was really neat. That night, we held a family home evening for the soldiers. We had dinner, and then watched Joy to the World. One of the soldiers brought his buddy that wasn't a member. We explained some things to him.

Thursday- We got to know a few more members. We also had an impromptu service opportunity. The Relief Society President, Sister Feaster, was helping her friend put some Christmas lights up. It was crazy. We had a lesson with our only investigators, the Motts. Their son had been reading and wanted to join us tonight. We had a really good lesson with them.

Friday- Zone Meeting. The Zone Leaders asked me to conduct, so conduct I did. After the meeting, I got my shoes and my package!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have best parents. My knee was really bothering me, so I went and got a brace for it. We went to visit the Cooks that night. They are so sweet. Brother Cook is a convert of about 7 months. He went to basic training really soon after his baptism. He really wants to get to the temple with his wife. She's been a lifelong member. She's from London. He is the coolest guy, and he is the most sincere guy. We suggested that he dedicate his home, which they had never really thought of. It might have been the most spiritual lesson of my mission. I almost cried.

Saturday- Literally all we did today was service. It was sweet!! We first helped out at the Bishop's Storehouse. We went straight from that, to help a lady move on post. She had a lot of stuff. We were there for about 6 hours. After that, we helped a member move some stuff around. We were toast that night.

Sunday- Elder McCleary and I went to Ft. Eustis with the Grimmiuss'. It was a super good experience. I'll save it for my spiritual thought. We went to the 2nd ward after we were done. We got through Sunday School, then we found out that the drainage system was backed up, so the Bishop decided to cancel third hour. We went with a member to eat dinner at their house. We went back to Ft. Eustis to watch the Christmas devotional. It was really good. I liked Elder Christofferson's story about the little boy and his week of holidays.

During fast and testimony meeting on Ft. Eustis, several soldiers got up and bore their testimonies about how good it was for them to be back. There was a time where church wasn't a priority to them, but coming back and being with fellow Brothers and Sisters felt good to them. The nonmember soldier I told you about got up and bore his testimony. He said that he really liked the feeling that he got when he was there with us. The Light of Christ is inside of us all. It tells us what is right, and what is wrong. Before we came to this earth, we knew everything about the gospel. The Light of Christ burns inside of us when we hear these truths on Earth. It's our decision to recognize the truth, or to ignore it. We will be given our just reward for the decisions that we make. Hearing all of these soldiers talk about how much Joy coming to church brought them, really made my week.

17  days till Christmas!!! Remember that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Christ. He is the Gift. Because of him, we can attain a forgiveness of our sins. We can overcome anything because of the Gift. I love you all.

Elder Dumont

Transfers, Thanksgiving, and Six Month Mark! Oh my!

Transfers, Thanksgiving, and Six Month Mark! Oh My!

Not as catchy as Dorothy and the gang, but oh well.

Tuesday- We tried to go around to teach some investigators, but to no avail. I spent a large portion of the day getting things ready to be packed. We went to Taco Tuesday at La Ribera with Sister Libby. She said that she's going to miss Elder Morgan and I.

Elders Zizzle and Doominator

Wednesday- Dreaded Transfer Day. I spent a lot of time getting things packed. 

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

I'm pretty sure I got everything. We went to Michaelangelo's one last time with a member. It was sooooo good. We got to the church, and the transfer van was late (as always). I got to see a ton of Elders that I knew: Elder Ludwig, Elder Siddoway, Elder Lancaster, and Elder Bauman (my grandpa haha). 

MTC Buddies

Pretty much everybody I know is in North Carolina still, except Elder Morgan. The ride up to Virginia was about a 3 hour drive to Portsmouth, to meet Elder Brimley, and then another 45 minutes to our apartment.

Elder Brimley

Thursday- Happy Thanksgiving ya'll. We woke up early to go and play some Turkey Bowl with the ward. That was a lot of fun. The field was all muddy, and I have no traction on my shoes, so you can bet that I ate it a couple of times. 

We had a couple of dinners. The first one was with a member of the bishopric and his wife, Brother Paggott. They are a hoot. We had a really good dinner there, then we went to the Ward Mission Leaders house, Brother Morris. He is sweet. We had another really good feast, and he showed us this song called "Santa Claus is a Black Man" hahahaha. It was sweet.

I started petting his cat, and then I itched my eye. Pretty soon it started swelling up pretty good. Brother Morris ran us to Walgreens to get some Benedryl. It was pretty gnarly.

Playing with the cat!

Friday- Six Month Mark!!!!! Us and the other Elders in the ward got a ride from the Senior Missionary Couple to District Meeting. I was still on Benedryl, so we weren't able to get much done. It sucked.

Shouldn't have played with the cat!

Saturday- We walked around for a bit trying to pass out He is the Gift Cards. If you don't know about the initiative, go onto LDS.org and look it up. It's sweet. We did a whole lot of walking, but not a whole lot of teaching.

Sunday- Sundays are very interesting here. We cover the Newport News 2nd Ward, and also help out with the Army branch on Fort Eustes. Every Sunday, we exchange companions so that both companionships can be represented at Ward Council. I went with Elder McCleary. He's awesome. He's been out for 3 months. He played basketball with Cooper Holt in Orem. During Sacrament Meeting, we were asked to share our testimonies. We exchanged back after Sacrament Meeting. Neither companionship has a car, so we rely on the members to give us rides a lot. We went and taught a man named Jeffery Mott. He was testing to see if we would be offended by saying the Book of Mormon was hard to read. We watched a talk by President Monson with him and his wife.

Monday- Every Monday, all of the Elders in Newport News get together to play Oompa-Loompa. It's a ton of fun. It's a mix between basketball, football, and ultimate Frisbee. I got to see Elder Morgan there.

My spiritual thought for the week comes from the Book of Alma. Chapters 17-27 comprise of the stories of the Sons of Mosiah and their missions to the Lamanites. It is such an inspiring example of how missionary work ought to be done. I want to focus on their afflictions. They suffered many things. Aaron and a few others endured imprisonment and numerous beatings. After Ammon and Lamoni set them free, they didn't delay, they went right on thrusting in their sickle. The result is one of the greatest missionary efforts in recorded history. They were instrumental in the conversion of thousands of Lamanites. There are a lot of adjustments that I have had to make in the past week. New apartment, new companion, and a whole new area. After reading this scripture, I decided to put all fear behind me and to look forward with "an eye single to the glory of God." I have seen many miracles in doing so.

It's hard to believe that I've been out for six months. I have learned so much and grown so much on my mission. I've learned and applied doctrines that were unknown to me before. I have grown in love of my Savior, Jesus Christ, of my Father in Heaven, and all of his children. It is exciting that I still have another 18 months to learn, grow, and serve the Lord with all of my might, mind, heart, and strength. I love you all.

Elder Dumont

Busy, Busy Week!

I'll try to keep things brief.

Tuesday- We saw Sister Hunt. We went over the baptismal interview questions and the requirements for baptism. She wants to get some things in order before she makes the commitment. She really understands how much of a commitment it is. She's awesome.

Wednesday- We had an interesting dinner. We had dinner with the Garn family (Holla), and one of the Sister's investigators haha. Sister Garn is really good friends with this investigator so...yeah. It was a fun night.

Thursday- We taught Jermaine at the home of Scott and Stephanie Smith. Brother Smith is such a good guy. We taught priesthood and service. We later found out that because of our lesson, Brother Smith felt motivated to serve and helped a man find  hotel that night.

Friday- We had our last District Meeting of the transfer. Big changes are happening. Stay tuned. 

Saturday- We had a lesson with Khylique. We're just trying to get everything taught quickly. He already knows a lot, but we still have to cover the material. We had Stake Conference in the evening. It was super good!! The Raleigh Temple President stood up and talked. He is very tall. He's taller than President Baker. They had some members of the stake go out in the middle of the meeting and work on clearing some names for family history. In the span of 45 minutes, four people cleared a total of 40 names!!! The Lord is hastening is work on both sides of the veil.

Sunday- We had to travel to New Bern, which is about an hour away. It was held in the New Bern convention center haha. It was a really good meeting. President Baker's talk was prompted to be towards one individual who is an investigator. We'll see if anything comes from that. They had the Primary children sing in the choir, and a couple of them gave talks!!! They were really good talks and the Spirit was really strong. Later that night, while eating dinner with a member, we got a phone call. I'm leaving Greenville and heading up to Newport News Virginia. I'm excited and ready for this change. My companion will be Elder Brimley. He's only got a 1 or 2 transfers left, so I could be his last companion.

I found this poem that can be related to Individual Worth.

’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile:

“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,

“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”

“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!” “Only two?

Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three—” But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”

And he held it up with the bow.

“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?

Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?

Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,

And going, and gone!” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

“We do not quite understand

What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:

“The touch of a master’s hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,

A game—and he travels on.

He’s “going” once, and “going” twice,

He’s “going” and almost “gone.”

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought

By the touch of the Master’s hand. 

We may not look like much, but when we are baptized, we become one of the children of Christ. He refines us with the holy hand and shows that we are of great worth to our Father in Heaven. Ponder this poem over through the week.

Gonna miss Greenville, but excited for Newport News!

That's all for this week. I'll be leaving for Newport News on Wednesday. From what I've heard, it's a fun place to be. Lots of missionaries there. The ward is pretty big. There's another set of Elders serving in the ward as well. You'll hear a better report next week. Until then, have a happy Thanksgiving. Love you all

Elder Dumont

On the right track!

Blessed Week

This was a crazy week.

Tuesday- We went and did some service for a former investigator. He had us rake up the pine straw in his backyard. There was soooooo much pine straw. Picture to come. We went to teach the Grimes family, and crazy little miracle, we were able to also teach two new investigators that happened to be sitting on the porch. One of them, Barry, we had received revelation that we need to start teaching him and that he was prepared to hear the gospel. He was so excited when we gave him a Book of Mormon, he ran inside, grabbed a pen and wrote his name and the date in the cover. That night, we taught Charlene Hunt (we found out that her name is spelled with a C haha whoops). We taught her the commandment of Tithing and she, like always, loved it. She loved the confidentiality of it all. She's just awesome.

Mucho Pine Straw

Wednesday- I went on an exchange with Elder Morgan (one of two exchanges for the week). We taught Jermaine about keeping the sabbath day holy. He's really struggling right now, so we're doing all that we can to help him. We send him a scripture about faith almost daily. He was doing good yesterday.

Thursday- We taught Charlene Hunt again. Well, when I say taught, I mean the Fox's taught. Let me explain. The Fox's are the Family History Center Consultants and they are awesome. We went with Charlene over to their house for a family history lesson. It was awesome. They are amazing at family history. Charlene really felt the Spirit of Elijah. They helped her to set up an account on Family Search and helped her to get started. She was so enthusiastic about it.

Friday- So remember when I said I went on two exchanges for the week. The second one was today with Elder Hunter. He's our Zone Leader. We were able to see Rodney and Barry. They were both down in the dumps a little, so we were able to help uplift their spirits. It was an amazing experience. The advice to just open your mouth and the Spirit will take over is true. Before I could even think of what I could say, words were already coming out. It was sweet. We visited a lot of Less Actives that night, to invite them to Stake Conference.

Saturday- We met at the church to exchange back. Elder Zonts and I had to fill the font. Kenneth Staton got baptized!!! He was a child of record, but it was still awesome to see him enter into the waters of baptism. Elder Zonts baptized him. It was a really good baptism. Later in the day, we met with Khylique again. We took Brother Morgan (the Young Mens President) with us. We taught the Plan of Salvation. We asked Brother Morgan to share his thoughts on the Atonement. When he was bearing testimony, the Spirit was so strong. We committed him to be baptized, and he was excited. His date is for December 6th.

Sunday- Today was very interesting. We went to Ward Council. While we were there, they found out that the youth speaker was not prepared, so they asked for a volunteer to take his place. I volunteered!!! I literally had about 10 minutes of preparation. I was the first speaker, so I went from my seat up to the Stand. I decided to give a talk about Self-Esteem and Individual Worth. These are both things that I have struggled with in the past, so I focused my studies this week to those topics. I related a parable I had just recently read in a BYU devotional. It was the parable of the Eagle who thought he was a chicken. This will double as my spiritual thought for the week. 

To be brief, a farmer found a baby eagle one day. He put the eagle, the king of birds, with his chickens. As a result, the eagle grew up thinking he was a chicken. A naturalist came to the farm and saw the eagle pecking around with the chickens. He inquired of the farmer and the farmer said, "That eagle has grown up among the chickens. He is convinced that he's a chicken. Therefore, he is a chicken." The naturalist disagreed and asked the farmer to let him prove that he was still an eagle at heart. The next morning, the naturalist took the eagle and put him on his arm. He said "Eagle, thou art an eagle. Thou dost belong to the sky and not to this earth; stretch forth thy wings and fly." The eagle looked around, and seeing the chickens pecking around on the ground, jumped down and joined them. The farmer boasted that he was right. The naturalist asked for another chance. His request was granted. The next day, the naturalist took the eagle up on the roof. He said, "Eagle, thou art an eagle, stretch forth thy wings and fly." Again, the eagle saw the chickens feeding, jumped down to join them. The naturalist begged the farmer for one more try. The farmer consented. The next morning, the naturalist took the eagle to the mountains, away from the farm. For the last time, the naturalist told the eagle, "Eagle, thou art an eagle. Thou dost not belong to this earth, but to the sky above. Spread forth thy wings and fly." Just then, the sun was peaking over the mountain. The eagle looked into the sun, spread it's wings, and began to soar.

     We each have a divine purpose in this life. We are meant to soar. Satan would have us to believe that we are but mere chickens. He wants to keep us grounded where he can reach us. The Savior is our advocate. With his help, we can realize our divine destiny. We can realize that we are eagles, and then we can fly.

After sacrament meeting, we taught Gospel Principles, so there was a lot of talking on my part this Sunday.

And that's all she wrote. It's been pretty cold here. Transfer calls are this Sunday. Stake Conference is also this weekend. President Baker is coming to speak, so he could just tell us in person haha. Have a great week. Love you all.

New Motto

Yeah we got egged

Love,

Elder Dumont