November 17, 2014 - Area 2: Clearbrook (Abbotsford)

Sickness, Service, and Setbacks

 

It's been a week of trial here in the Brook. That's not to say that I haven't grown a lot from it. The weather is getting colder. It feels a lot cooler here then it did in Nanaimo. A lot of the locals we've talked to have said that there's a fair chance of getting a fair bit of snow. The white stuff just loves to follow me it seems!

Wednesday morning I woke up with a scratchy throat and chills. We helped out Tim by replacing a flat tire on his truck and fixed his garage door. We got one of his Norton motorbikes up and running at the end of the day which was cool. After that we helped the McCollums move some stuff out of their apartment in preparation for their mission in Hawaii. I got a fever after that and had to go home. I slept for about an hour and a half. Fortunately, we got to go to dinner with a member that night and the nice hot sea food chowder was very helpful.

My fever was gone by Thursday (thankfully.) We taught Devin parts of the 4th lesson after our weekly planning. We invited him to go to a baptism on Friday just so he could see what its like and then be interviewed after. He said he would, but we haven't seen him since then. More to that little story in a bit. That night we went to see Lori's family. We had just came from dinner at a member's place out in Aldergrove where I ate a little too much food. When it was my turn to speak during the lesson, I began to feel sick to my stomach. I stopped and Elder Lamb took over until I made the announcement that I wasn't feeling good and had to use the bathroom. It's easy to guess what happened after... No mess was created. Perhaps the overeating and the fever was enough to make me sicker then ever! It would have been a forgivable lesson if Lori knew the Book of Mormon was true, but she didn't really believe the restoration or that the book was true. She said that she would pray and keep reading it though so there's still hope.     

Friday we went over to the Gaspars, an elderly couple who live on an orchard farm just outside of town and mowed their lawn.  

On Saturday we saw Chris again with Parker, one of the young adults in our ward. He continues to  do well but has been busy with a couple of jobs and looking after his kid. We went over to his place after that, ate lunch and helped his dad out with cleaning their garage. Close to the time the baptism was going to start and after trying to get a hold of Devin several times, he said he was unable to go. His date is being moved back to a time that we have yet to determine. Briana sure isn't happy. 

The sisters invited us to do a musical number in sacrament meeting on the 23rd and we accepted. I'm pretty sure the last time I sang in front of a crowd was in elementary school or something so it should be an interesting experience. My nasty cough started up on Sunday and it didn't help matters when Elder Lamb and I practiced singing the EFY medley with the sisters! The cough is still pretty bad now.

Well, we made it! We didn't do a lot of tracting this week because of our colds and we haven't found a new investigator in 2 weeks. Despite the hard times and poor results, I've learned that there's not much point in complaining. God has some kind of plan for this area as he does for every in the the mission. I feel like I've been growing and pushing myself more. We just gotta keep going. Miss you all and have a great week. 

Elder Maclean Samis     

November 10, 2014 - Area 2: Clearbrook (Abbotsford)

Beautiful British Columbia

The week began with an exchange. Elder Maura and I went to Chilliwack on Tuesday. In one part of the day we tracted on this hill that overlooked the beautiful Fraser Valley below. You could see well into Washington State from where we were and the fall colours were really something. Indeed, it reminded me of all the extraordinary creations that God created for us to behold. We ran into an old guy named Alfred who agreed to let us come back that evening. We taught him and the lesson seemed to be all over the place. Apperently, Alfred is Chilliwacks' first investigator in 8 weeks. We also got to eat dinner with a member who fed us some gluten free lasagna since Elder Maura has food allergies. Tasted no different to me. Elder Lamb and Elder Walker saw Lori's family the same day but they didn't make it to church.

Wednesday evening we ate and ate and ate. We got double booked for dinner by our members which may sound like a great thing but it sure hurt the stomach. First we ate at the McCollums who are preparing to leave on a couple mission for Hawaii (lucky them) and then the Sharmas. They are East Indian and they love to feed their guests. We were fed various vegetables and curry and they kept filling our plates when we got half way through them. I can't recall when I last ate that much. It should be interesting to find out how much I weigh the next time I step on a scale...  

On Thurday, we finally recieved word from Briana that Devin was set to meet with us once more! We taught him that afternoon about tithing which he agreed to live! We may have to move his date back a week since it would be tight on the ward to make it happen this Saturday, but we'll see what happens. We're eating dinner at the Carlisle's place this Tuesday and we'll probably do a practice interview with him the same night. 

Friday we went to London Drugs to get our seasonally flu shots up on high street mall. Elder Lamb got really sick for a couple of days. It sucks when the flu shot GIVES YOU THE FLU! We did some service for a less active member in Aldergrove named Anne. We did a bit of digging in the front yard. She's planning on putting a rock bed and eventually planting grass. 

Saturday I went on an exchange with Elder Angelstad who has a lot of love for everyone. Him and I taught the long lost Chris that day who has apparently been trying really hard to contact us to set a time to meet. We taught him the 10 commandments as he was doing a bit of fall cleaning in his yard. 

It was a pretty relaxing sabbath. Devin went to church in Briana's ward for the week and we ate dinner with the Gordons that evening. We also taught Curtis about the priesthood which went very well. He's only had a couple of coffees in the past 3 weeks which is a great improvement from where he began. I don't know when he'll be baptized but perhaps it will happen while I'm still on my mission.

And now as the 11th comes, let us put on our poppies on and wear them in remembrance of the brave men and women who laid down their lives for us to preserve our freedom. It makes me think about the scripture found in John 13:15 which reads: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

Lest we forget.

Elder Maclean Samis

November 3, 2014 - Area 2: Clearbrook (Abbotsford)

Tricks and Treats

 

Another week gone and another month. The rain keeps falling and the temperature keeps dropping. Yet strangely, there's still no snow in the forecast. Sometimes I wonder whether or not lower BC is part of Canada or not. We could have a green Christmas according to many of the locals. Devin's visit to Kelowna turned out to be longer then we thought. He just got back to town yesterday so we were unable to teach him at all this week. His baptismal date still stands tall for the 15th!    

We taught Loris' family Tuesday night and they are awesome! Some of the friendliest most out going people you'll meet. We met her husband Harold who seems to be totally opened to learning about the church. The belief in God that they have is not so different from our own it seems and we are thrilled to keep working with them. We'll be seeing them this Tuesday night and they are reading the Book of Mormon. 

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Elder Lamb and I sure did. On the 30th, we helped our young men's leader, Brother T. set up a maze project in the church's primary room for a Halloween activity. The maze was entirely made out of card board and was enclosed so the kids that went through it had to crawl on the floor through it in the dark. At 7:00pm we went to the activity to see how well it worked. It was difficult to get through even for the older kids!

On Halloween we found a new investigator named Tara who loves trucks and is opened to learning about the church. When we approached her door, we were concerned about how she would react to seeing us since there was a big "No Jehovah's Witnesses" sign on her door. The two of us were fully aware that we were Mormons but usually signs like this apply to any form of so called "religious solicitation" Fortunately we were wrong that time. We visited a few members throughout the day, all of which gave us some candy. Brother Taylor, was most generous and sent us off with a can of Sprite and a big bag of chips each! Love that guy!

Hope everybody has had a good week. Wow, in less then 2 months I will be experiencing my first ever Christmas in the mission field. That should be interesting! Won't be long before that comes. Until next week, bye!

Elder Maclean Samis     

October 27, 2014 - 2nd Area: Clearbrook (Abbotsford)

Changing Colours

 

 

It's getting cold here in Clearbrook. The rain has been getting heavier and the sun is coming out less often. The trees are changing colour quickly and the temperature is dropping. Winter is definitely on the way. 

On Tuesday we went to teach Devin at Briana's house again. We taught him Lesson 3 and the Law of Chastity and he has no issues with either one. He's indeed very well prepared and it seems as if there's not much that can stop him from being baptized. He was in Kelowna this Sunday visiting some friends though, so he wasn't at church yesterday. He also went with Briana to the church laurel priest conferece so I'm sure that was a great social opportunity for him. 

As far as bad news go, Les and his family are pulling the plug. Elder Lamb and I tried to set a time to meet with them but they replied to our text message saying that while they appreciated what we were doing, they were ok with where they were at. Tough break. :(

Even so our finding has been decent. We tracted into a lady named Lori who talked to us for a few minutes before letting us in to teach her for a while. She has a couple of young kids and her 15 year old daughter sat in listening to us. We'll be seeing Lori again tomorrow. 

Thursday morning we drove out to the May's place to help them prepare some veggies for the laurel priest conference. The sisters were helping out too and everyone agreed that it would have taken forever for the Mays to do it by themselves, even with one set of missionaries. Thats a lot of of potatoes and broccoli! Later that evening Elder Lamb and I decided to take a walk around the Sikh temple to check out the big De-Wali celebration that was going on there. I'm not sure what the holiday is for, but its a big festive day for the Sikh followers and there was a whole lot of fireworks going off around the place. 

That's all this week. Love you all and talk to you next Monday. Happy Halloween!

Elder Maclean Samis     

October 20, 2014 - 2nd Area: Clearbrook (Abbotsford)

The Miracles of Fellowship

First off neither Elder Lamb or I have been transferred. Second, we are finally seeing a lot of success in our area! Tuesday we had found a family of 3 who seem to be quite interested. They are Les, Christie, and their 11 year old daughter Quinn. We'll be seeing them on Tuesday. We found another investigator named Zara who is a young single mother from the Philippines but we decided to pass her on to the Aldergrove Sisters. 

About a few weeks ago, the Abbotsford 3rd sisters passed a huge miracle to us named Deven. He's 18 and has been attending church for the past few weeks with his cousin, Briana who has been a member of the church for about a year. We've already taught him twice this week in Briana's home and he's progressing very quickly, so much so that we set a baptismal date for November 15th! :) The first lesson he seemed a bit shy but by the second he really opened up thanks to Elder Lamb's great social skills. He is eager to keep learning. He came to church yesterday and we'll be meeting with him and Briana this Tuesday. We're all really excited for him and it looks probable that he will become my first convert baptism!  

Among some other more cool experiences I had was eating dinner with the Palfrey family on Thursday. Brother Palfrey loves music. He's a really talented singer and acoustic guitar player who in 2010 recorded his own album with 6 songs on it called "Vancouver Rain". He even went on tours around south-western Canada for bit and was fairly successful! He says within the next little while he's going to record another. He gave Elder Lamb and I each a copy of his album and signed the back of it.        

Yesterday we went over to Brother Noftle's to give him a priesthood blessing. He's been sick all week and couldn't come to church. We also taught Curtis and tried to get him to go without coffee for a week, he said he would try it next week.

That's the main highlights for this week. It's been raining on and off really hard throughout the week. It feels a little dreary but thank heavens it hasn't been snowing. Don't miss snow in October in the slightest. Love all of you and have a great week!

Elder Maclean Samis 

 

 

Here are a few pictures Elder Samis sent.  The first is him and his companion Elder Lamb, the next is his district in Clearbrook, and last, a picture he took of Mount Baker.  I guess you can get a pretty good view of Mount Baker from Clearbrook!

 

 

October 13, 2014 - 2nd Area: Clearbrook (Abbotsford)

A Transfer of Thanksgiving

As yet another transfer closes, the Thanksgiving weekend has arrived. It's been a lot more chilly as winter gets closer. Sadly, not much has occurred in the following up of our investigators.   

I went on a couple of exchanges this week, the first of the two was in Chilliwack on Tuesday. I got to drive for about the 3rd time in my mission which was nice. Elder Koanohi and I taught a lesson with our ward mission leader, Brother Olson. The lady we taught is Christina. She is from Sudan and has 3 kids, one of them is 19 and is named Akol. It was a difficult lesson to teach with the 2 younger kids running all over the place and making noise but in the end, she said we could come back on Sunday. We couldn't see her on Sunday in the end since she was going to her cousins' house for Thanksgiving dinner. 

There was a zone meeting on Wednesday in which it was made official that working with the members became the number one priority. Rather then just sharing a quick spiritual thought, we will from now on teach a principle from one of the 5 lessons. 

Thursday I went on the other exchange, this time with Elder Davis. We knocked on a lot of doors that day and for the first time I got a taste of what knocking doors is like in the Bible Belt of the lower mainland. There were a lot of people that weren't very happy to see us. The day ended on a high note though when we went over to the Noftles' home for dinner. That family just makes my day!

Friday we helped a family move into the word named the Bambas. They are from the Philippines and used to be in the ward a few years ago. 

Sunday evening we went to the Hara family's home for Thanksgiving dinner. They had a few less active relatives visiting from Kelowna.   

Not too worried about getting moved. It's very likely we will both be staying. Well since it's thanksgiving, I suppose I should make a list of what I am thankful for. I am thankful for my family and for all they have done in helping me prepare for this mission and the rest of my life. I am also thankful for my mission president, my companion, and the members of the Abbotsford 2nd ward. I am thankful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and am proud to serve as one of the Lord's missionaries. Enjoy the rest of the long weekend! 

Elder Maclean Samis   

 

 

October 6, 2014 - 2nd Area: Clearbrook (Abbotsford)

A Wonderful Conference

It's been a slow week here at the Brook. We weren't able to meet with too many of our investigators this week. We saw Charles last night and he's having thoughts about being baptized. The other appointments we set with people seemed to flake out on us. Lots going on in peoples lives I guess. The temple trip on Tuesday was a nice experience. It's also been a bit more relaxing with general conference sessions to go to throughout the weekend. It's the closest thing a missionary will get to a relaxing day outside of p day. The weather has continued to cooperate so there are many blessings to count despite the hard luck with our new friends.

I've spent too much cash over the past week. There were a lot of office supplies to buy and we had to eat out a lot with all the traveling. On Wednesday we went to Karl's Junior which turned out to be a good place to go. Expensive and bad for you, but still really tasty! :) After that Elder M and I drove out to Chilliwack for an exchange. We knocked on a lot of doors and visited a couple of families. We ate dinner with the S family. They're an awesome family with 3 daughters and a son. When I told them that I had served in Nanaimo, they broke into conversation about how they lived there a few years ago and asked me if I knew this family and that. It was an awesome visit! 

It was Brother N. birthday on Saturday night so we dropped by his place real quick to give him a card that Elder Lamb made. You have to see it to believe how funny it was! I'll be sure to take a picture of it (if I can remember) the next time we go to visit the N family.     

Really other then what I've mentioned above there isn't too much to say except general conference was excellent! I loved Jeffery R Holland's talk about caring for the poor. Elder Christofferson's talk about keeping your standards far from the world's really spoke to me as well. David A Bednar's talk to those who are not members of the church was easily my favorite of the Sunday sessions. I would recommend it to anyone who is unfamiliar with what the church teaches. It'll be very helpful and help them understand what a missionaries purpose is. 

Well that's all for now. Here's hoping that this week will be more productive for us. Enjoy the fall everybody!

Elder Maclean Samis