June 30, 2014 - Nanaimo South

IN THESE 20 YEARS

Hey all, it's been a quiet week here on the mission. Things are going back to normal and nothing too out of the ordinary has occurred. However, with President and Sister Tilleman leaving tomorrow morning and the looming possibilty that I will leave the only area on my mission that I have known in the upcoming transfer, it seems likely that it won't stay that way for much longer. The same usual amount of people found and our teaching has been a bit low. We've been working with an East Russian guy named Gannadey and He's awesome! We met him on Friday and taught him the restoration on Saturday. He's 85 years old, Pentecostal, and he loves the bible. We gave him a Russian Book of Mormon, taught him the restoration and he said he would read it.

Bruce is doing well. He didn't come to church this past week since he was sick. We've taught him the plan of salvation. He was a little confused about it at first but it seems like he understands it now. We've also been working with a less active member named Damion who is the brother of another member in our ward. He's a cool guy and wants to start going to church again. We're going to his place this Friday for a hotdog roast the next time we teach him! :)

My birthday is coming up fast and boy do I ever feel old the more I think about it. By July 3 I will have lived a couple decades! It's made me reflect a little on how well I have been taught by my parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family, friends, leaders, and so many others to give me the support throughout my life. I thank you all and I love you.

With Canada day coming up, our ward stood up and sang Oh Canada. I thought a lot as I sang the 4th verse of our national anthem, and it dawned on me that as a missionary, it's like I'm standing on guard for it and helping our ruler supreme by preparing it for the "better day." What a cool feeling! That really makes me proud to be Canadian! :D

With that I will end these brief words. Hope you all have a good week and happy Canada day!

Sincerely,
Elder Maclean Samis   

June 23, 2014 - Nanaimo South

SICK AGAIN

 

Hello everybody and welcome back to another week of work on the Island. Well things have been productive but also quite rough. Remember that time when I was with Elder Glover and I got sick? Well I'm sick again (though mostly better now.) I somehow caught another cold within just several days of getting over the last one. There's a funny virus going around, and it seems like a lot of people are getting it. Sleep has been scarce for almost the entire week from all the coughing I've been doing during the night.

 

The worst day of the cold was experienced on Friday when I got a fever and my throat swelled up. I took a nap during dinner time and was debating whether or not to go out for prime finding time. Somehow when I looked out of the window of our apartment the spirit told me to go out and told me that I would have the strength to do it. I decided to go and we found an investigator that night as a result! :) The rest of our week was good for finding. In total we found 9 new investigators despite a slow start early on.

 

As for progressing investigators? Tanya has appeared to fall off the face of the earth. However we have began to work with Kevin again. The last time Elder Lawter and I taught him was close to a couple months ago when he failed to keep his word of wisdom commitment, so we stopped by his place again to find out if there was anything we could do to help him overcome his word of wisdom troubles. He told us that he really wanted to quit his addiction habits if it were to be what God wanted him to do. He also has a younger brother who has many of the same problems and is very interested in studying with us! :) We taught them both several times this week and they are loving having us as company. We figure that as we teach them all the lessons that they'll be able to have the faith and desire to live the word of wisdom. 

 

We were also briefly teaching a young Native woman named Chelsey who Elder Glover and I found shortly before he went home. We had a baptismal date set for her on July 25 but sadly when we called her to confirm her appointment, she said that she was comfortable where she was. :( At least we planted a seed.

 

Anyway that's the week! Hope everybody is enjoying their first week of summer! Love you all and I appreciate your support for me as Elder Burns and I continue to labor gladly in Nanaimo!

 

Till next pday,

Elder Maclean Samis             

June 16, 2014 - Nanaimo South

AN EVER CHANGING MISSION

Hello again everyone. I apologize (AGAIN) for being unable to write much last week. I simply didn't have the time with transfers and getting shipped all over the lower mainland so I will briefly fill in what happened during the previous week.

Elder Glover went home last Friday along with Elder Dursch and many other missionaries. We spent some time visiting with some of the members he worked with in West Vancouver and it was really neat to get to know them. It was an emotional experience for him and it was hard watching him leave. I spent a little time with my old mtc companion Elder Bonfield and worked in Wallouby with him until Thursday where I got placed with my new companion, Elder Burns. He's a fairly young missionary and has been out for about 6 months. Him and I have quite a bit in common. The only true difference is that he's a little more talkative it seems. So far we have been getting along really well together.

 

With Elder Duersch and Elder Glover now dead and buried (missionary lingo for missionaries who have finished their missions and headed back home) we have another couple of zone leaders. One of them happens to be Elder Rolfson! :) it's great to have him back in the zone, especially as a leader. He is quite young for a zone leader, being out only 3 months longer then myself but I know that he'll be a terrific leader! He will be companions with Elder Olson who just came from Van West.     

Right now I'm back in Nanaimo things are going back to the same old same old. However there is a certain little miracle worth mentioning. On Thursday afternoon as we were coming back from our apartment for lunch, Elder Burns accidently dropped our car keys down a manhole in the apartment parking lot. We couldn't believe what had happened but the spirit told us to relax and stay calm. We took a broom, tied half a broken wired coat hanger to the handle and miraculously managed to hook the keys and bring them back up! :) Unfortunately we came back to the car after, only to discover that the right hand corner of our car's bumper was badly dented. We suspect that it was a hit and run...

 

There is a couple more things worth mentioning in this past week. We helped some members out with a move on Friday but that was really the only notable thing that happened. I took a fall down a few stairs while trying to carry a table and skinned my knees a little but no other damage was done and I was ok. On Saturday night we were called over by a drunk guy near our apartment who wanted to talk to us. He told us that he wanted to quit drinking and find out what God wants for him. We set up a return appointment for the next day and it went through. His name is Ross turns out he has a family of 3 kids and he's pretty solid. He also says he is related to the Marshall family who are members of our church! :) He took the message of the Restoration very well and he's happy to learn more.   

 

 It's seeming less and less likely that Elmer will be baptized while I'm here. We've tried everything we can and the last time we called his house his mother answered the phone. She told us that she was sick in bed and she seemed annoyed that we kept on waking her up. It seems like Tanya is once again slipping off. Her phone line is dead and she's never home. :( We suspect that she is still in Campbell River with her mother. Guess she just needs a little more time.  

 

What Elder Burns and I do know is that this is all happening for a reason and that we just can't stop working. If there's one thing a mission has taught me so far it's how to be patient. Well that's a summery of the major events that have occurred over the past 2 weeks. Until next time, talk to you later!

 

With love from,

Elder Maclean Samis    

June 9, 2014 - Nanaimo, South

I'm in Vancouver right now and Elder Glover and I have taken some time to visit people he knew in West Vancouver, the richest area in the entire nation! MAN, you and Sam would faint if you saw how big some of the houses in Richmond are (where the mission office is) and DIE if you saw some of the places here in West Van! lol. Anyhow finding was rough this week because Elder Glover had to pack and say his final goodbyes to the members he's worked with. He baptized 6 people in Nanaimo which is a good number for BC. :) Anyway, we stopped by a member family called the Baumgarters. They have a really nice place and are some of the kindest people you will ever meet! They fed us pizza and ice cream. Interestingly enough, Sister Baumgarter was born in Edmonton and her family lived really close to the White Ave Chapel! They also know Bishop Nelson and his family! :)

We actually did set a new baptismal date earlier with Bruce. He has a huge hotwheels collection of all things which is pretty sweet. Apparently he has already read the entire book of Mormon and knows it's true! :D

And now for the transfer news: I will be staying once again in Nanaimo and have been put with a new companion by the name of Elder Burns. He has been out a little longer then I have and from what I've heard from Elder Glover he is... excellent. ;) He's out in the Okanagen somewhere though so he needs some time to travel to Richmond for the transfer. I meanwhile, get this... will be staying to work in Surrey for a little while with my old MTC buddy Elder Bonfield! :O I'm stoked to be with him again and catch up and see how he's doing. He's seen a lot of success in his areas from what I've been hearing. Well that's about all there is to report right now. I'd love to write more but I need to email President Tilleman with little time to spare.

Love you all!

Elder Maclean Samis               

 

June 2, 2014 - Nanaimo South

Well you might say Elder Lawter is officially "dead."

On Tuesday evening President Tilleman and the other Nanaimo zone missionaries gathered together for our monthly zone conference. President Tilleman said something during his training that I'll remember forever; "How you treat the hastening of the work on your mission foreshadows what will happen in your life after." 

 

Once the conference was over we went on an exchange with the assistants. I was put with Elder Smith who just went home with Elder Lawter. In the space of our exchange it seemed as if we were quite literally talking to every person we would see. We found 3 new investigators that night and another shortly before the exchange ended the next day. 

And now for the most previous week:
 

Last Monday evening it was time to say goodbye to Elder Lawter. Him and Elder Smith took the Nanaimo South car to the ferry terminal and the two of them flew home on Wednesday...

Then came the time to begin working with Elder Glover. We started off by finding that evening. We found 3 that night but then I woke up the next morning feeling a bit under the weather. I was still fit to tract and we went finding again and found another 3... then another 3 on Wednesday... we just kept working and working but by Wednesday evening, my voice began to disappear and got steadily worse as the days went on. Then we went to a Native reserve on Saturday where we found 4! In total, we found 14 investigators this week which is a personal high but boy oh boy were we wiped! We spent most of our time in the southern part of town despite having the north and south Nanaimo areas being temporarily merged into one. Once Elder Glover goes home in the coming transfer, Nanaimo will once again have 2 sets of Elders again. I will likely not be moving.

We didn't have too many lessons this week but among the few we taught a Native woman named Louise. She seems really pleased to be meeting with us and she told us that throughout her life she has ignored the peer pressure of her friend's negative choices and actions. Her belief in God seems to be very similar to that of our own!

On Sunday we went to the big Canada wide broadcast and Tanya was there! She hasn't come to church in a while but she's back now and still wants to be baptised! She only stayed for about an hour since she was heading back up to Campbell River to spend more time with her mother.  

 
By Sunday night at 7:00pm we had to stop finding so my vocal cords and I could get some rest. With the scratchy throat came a dry cough. I took some cough medicine when we got back to the apartment and took about an hour nap before waking up again to do our daily planning. Even now my voice still isn't at it's best. Of course, it's tough losing your voice on your mission because you have to talk to people, whether it be your companion, or people you are approaching or teaching all the time!
 
Elder Glover has been one of the greatest missionaries I have had a chance to work with! He works like a horse, he knows the scriptures, teaches great, knows when to be serious, but also knows when to be hilarious! It's a shame that he's going home soon. I've considered myself to be VERY lucky serving along side so many experienced missionaries while working here in my first area. That's all for now! Hope you all have a great week!

With love from,

 
Elder Maclean Samis