Still in Nanaimo for now

Still in Nanaimo for now
Elder Samis on the ferry

Monday 8 September 2014

September 8, 2014 - Area 2: Clearbrook

AREA 2: CLEARBROOK

Yes. It has happened. After 7 and a half month, I have finally left Nanaimo. I went to a dinner last Monday night at Sasha's place on the night of the calls. Knowing that it was very possible that I could be transferred, she cooked up something a little more exotic this time. We ate, and I kid you not, SHARK. It wasn't too bad actually. It tasted like fish with a bit of a stronger flavor. Anyhow, we received a call from the zone leaders during our appointment and they said that they would meet us at Sasha's place to share their own transfer news. Elder Rolfson told us that he was going to Haida Gwaii (a huge island just south of Alaska) and Elder Stapley, who became Elder Rolfson's companion for a couple days since Elder Olsen has become an assistant in Richmond and had to leave a few days before to be interviewed, is going to Westbank in the Okanagan area. Elder Burns and I were stunned! So was Sasha and Micheal. We visited for a few more minutes, took some pictures with the family, said goodbye and then left.

I didn't get my call until 9:45pm just after our daily planning. The new assistant Elder Olsen gave the call... He told Elder Burns that he would be staying in Nanaimo while I would be leaving for Clearbrook, a small regional district within Abbotsford and would serve with an Elder by the name of Lamb. I had heard that he was a funny guy and that he served in Nanaimo South for only 6 weeks before being transferred. Sasha said that Elder Lamb was one of the Elders who taught her briefly in preperation for her baptize.  

I can't even come close to listing off all of the events that have happened in the past few days so I'll get right to what you need to know about life in Abbotsford. I'm pleased to report that life with Elder Lamb has been fantastic, though a bit of a culture shock. The first couple days I was wondering, why aren't we doing a lot of finding? That's almost all I ever did some days in Nanaimo. Well, fact of the matter is the answer is simple: The members LOVE missionary work! :) Elder Lamb told me that we get a lot of referals and that's where a good portion of our teaching comes from. It's a darn good thing too, because the tracting area is very small. It almost feels like a different mission! As for our apartment? Well it's gotta be the nicest in the entire mission, no biggie. Our suite is HUGE. It's got a fire place, a spacious kitchen, a 2 door bathroom that connects the kitchen area and the bedroom, and a view of Mount Baker from the deck. Wait till you see the pictures!

On Friday we helped a lady named Sister S with a move. Her husband is not a member but he has been coming to church for a while. He is interested in being baptized, but just not yet.  

Elder Lamb introduced me to a member named Jeremy who was at a scout meeting. After visiting with him at the stake center for a little while, he took us for a ride in a souped up Volkswagen Golf GTi. Let me tell ya, he punched the gas on that little car like a maniac! He took us to the out skirts of town and we passed Chad Kroger, lead singer of Nickelback's house. Unfortunately it was dark and, we didn't see much of the home itself except the 8 foot tall hedge and the massive iron gate that hid it. That was probably the first "stupid" fun experience I've had on my mission. :P    

Saturday night we drove out to Richmond to hear Elder Johnson of the seventy speak in a special conference for missionaries and ward leaders. It was all about the members and missionaries working together. One of the bishops attending stood up and asked what the rules were concerning having the members eating at their homes. Immediately President Burt stood up and said that he had received revelation that he wanted the missionaries and members to work with each other as much as possible, to take the next step, even if that means eating dinner with them! There was sense of excitement among the pews. A lot of people have been wondering if the rule about having a non-member eating with them would change.

Shortly after church once the announcement had been made, our new meal calender had nearly every day filled! We visited a couple of the members after that and tried to go visit a potential investigator with Jeremy but that fell through. As far as current investigators, our pool is fairly small and we had a baptismal date with a guy named Chris who I haven't met yet. Well as surprising as the area has been, I've felt really blessed to serve in such a great place. It's been a stressful adjustment but all is well as of now. I'm much more caught up and relaxed with everything.

Elder Lamb has been an awesome companion! He is easy to feel comfortable around and shares a lot of the same interests I do. He's from Lethbridge so for the second time in my mission, I have an Albertan companion! How about that? Well it's been a thrilling week and it's nice to get some rest on p day. The weather has been great despite the summer winding down and boy do I ever pity those that are stuck in the snow back home. SUCKERS. Baha, just kidding. :) Hope schools been off to a good start for all of you students and I will talk to you all next week.

With love from,

Elder Maclean Samis      

   

 

 

 

 

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