July 28, 2014 - Nanaimo South

SIX MONTHS AND COUNTING...

Surprise! I'm still in Nanaimo! :) You heard correct, I will be staying in the city I've grown to love for another 6 weeks and I am very excited. Overall it has been a VERY slow week for finding. This comes as almost no surprise since the way we have been finding has changed dramatically. We didn't find anybody new to teach this week, a personal all time low. The good news is we had 3 current investigators come out to church this Sunday, a personal all time high! I also had the privilege of seeing some old friends from my homeward just before sacrament meeting. Anyone in the Edmonton North Stake know the Bachelder family? Well I saw them at church yesterday! :) If anything made my week, it was that church meeting!

I'm very excited to report that we have been working with Kevin again! Elder Burns and I have been working really hard with him to overcome the habits that he's been facing lately. It was his first time ever coming out to church and he said that although he has been to many churches before, this one is the closest thing that there is to the full truth! During one of our lessons with Kevin we read Moses Chapter 1 with him in the Pearl of Great Price. He was fascinated with the idea of the book of Moses being extracts from the book of Genesis. It really helped him understand why Joseph Smith was considered a prophet of God and what type of person he is. Once he is able to give up his addictions, he should be baptised soon after.      

Bruce came for the second time and we've began meeting with him again as well. Slowly but surly he is understanding what "sets us apart" from other churches. The third person who came to sacrament meeting was Paulette who is moving out of town. We helped her with part of the move with Brother May.

 

We met with the Sternal family on Friday in Ladysmith and ate dinner. After we shared a brief spiritual thought, Brother Sternal taught my companion and I some remarkable things he came to know when he studied energy in university. The human body uses energy in so many ways it's actually mind blowing. Almost supernatural. I can't really explain a lot about the things he told me but it made me further understand that only God could design the ways that our bodies use energy.

Well there you have it for this week. Also, Happy Birthday to my younger brother Hunter! Can't believe you're 16 now. Where does time go? We had a lot of memories together back home that will last forever and I know that there will be plenty more in the not too distant future. Bye for now!

Love, 

Elder Maclean Samis    

 

           

July 21, 2014 - Nanaimo South

THE COOL DOWN

 

Well folks the weather has cooled down considerably on the Island and it's a good thing too! It's rained for a couple of days which should help out the fire fighters quite a bit. Though I can't stay too informed by the news, we've been told by the ward members that there's been a lot of forest fires in BC this year.

Teaching and finding has been pretty low this week. President Burt has adjusted the way we find investigators. It used to be easier, now it's harder but I like the idea. It's helping us learn how to become better teachers. The way it used to work is that you could talk to someone on their door step and if they said you could come back and say a prayer with them, the person would become a new investigator. Now you need to get the return appointment to go through to make it happen so it's more challenging.

Dail has stopped meeting us again. Perhaps for a while. He sent us a text explaining that one of his family members told him to "STAY AWAY from the Mormons" so I guess we did all we could without being too pushy. We'll keep on praying for him and he'll come around one day.   

On Saturday we taught a homeless guy named Scott in the park downtown. He listened but it didn't really seem like he was "buying" what we were telling him. We gave him a Book of Mormon though and he said he would read it.

 

The brightest part of the week was the fact that we found Tanya! :) After over a transfer we dropped by her place and she was happy to see us again. The north elders had a baptism going on that night so we invited her to go to it. She did but for some reason she didn't come to church the next day. She has been traveling all over the island so maybe she's worn out. We'll be sure not to lose her this time!

 

Another miracle we received came this morning. We recieved a call from a family called the Sternals who are members and moved from Ontario to Ladysmith last week! This was huge news to us since it seems like little happens there. We felt prompted to go there on Friday and spent the entire day trying to contact less active members spending and finding without much success. The Lord must of blessed us with putting the Sternal family in Ladysmith. Who knows, maybe some other missionaries will be able to work with them and the handful of other members to get a branch there one day!   

That's the week! transfer calls are coming up. Within under 24 hours I could be told that I'm leaving Nanaimo. By the time you get my next post, I may be some where else in the province. Stay tuned!

 

With Love from,

Elder Maclean Samis 

 

 

      

July 14, 2014 - Nanaimo South

A RISING HEAT

Well it's July now, and as you might expect, Vancouver Island has been a hot place to be. The temperature has been going up to the mid 30s consistently throughout the week. I don't know how the missionaries survive in the southern interior. It's apparently common for the temperature to reach around 50 in places like Clear Water! Fortunately Elder Burns and I managed beat the heat (sort of) by placing a fan in our apartment study room. I've had to start taking cold showers each night after daily planning and that seems to be helping me sleep.

The Nanaimo Ward had a barbeque at a local park on  and we showed up for lunch there. The food was great and it was fun to see so many people we knew there. 

Well even though it's been a hot week in Nanaimo, the miracles have been everywhere especially on Tuesday. Elder Burns and I were going to see a couple of investigators named Edmund and Karen, but they weren't home. We decided to tract their townhouse complex and we found 7 new investigators within something like 26 doors! Even those who weren't interested were polite to us. It was difficult to feel happy about the finding but only because I was so surprised! We knelt down and thanked our heavenly father for helping us meet so many great people despite baking in the heat. We found another couple street contacting downtown as well!

On Friday we met Dail over by the Macdonalds close to our apartment and we taught him a couple of the commandments and part of the plan of salvation. We brought Brother B out to the lesson with us. At first he seemed ok with what we have taught him but he texted us the following night and told us that he wasn't ready to give up everything and didn't want to come to church with us. Brother B heard about this as well and he gave him a call to rest assure that we didn't expect him to give up everything all at once. Though Dail didn't come to church yesterday, we got a spiritual prompting to see him shorty after a dinner appointment with the McCallums, a member family who live in Ladysmith. We had a good chat with him and he told us that he misunderstood our expectations and agreed to keep meeting with us. Boy were very relieved that we hadn't lost him!

We've been teaching a woman named Paulette who once investigated the church when she was younger. She knows a lot of the members there and she seems pretty excited about being baptized! Elder Glover and I actually briefly met her on the street as we were tracting. She's really friendly and because she lives on her own she really enjoys our company. She also came to church yesterday. :)

Well with the transfers call looming and the fact that I've been in Nanaimo for all 6 months of my mission, it is quite possible that I could be packing up and moving to another area. Something tells me that I'll end up going somewhere more remote. Possibly in a more northern based area. A place like Terrace or Quenel. Whatever. It's not for me to decide. I'll let you know if I'm staying or not by the week after next. That's the week! Hope everyone enjoys summer while it lasts! As always, thank you for the support and I will email you on the day of transfer calls.

With love from,

Elder Maclean Samis

July 7, 2014 - Nanaimo South

WELCOMING THE BURTS

 

Well another week gone and you may also say, another mission president. The Tillemans left for Arizona on July 1. They will be greatly missed and I will forever treasure what they taught me in the 5 and a half months in the Canada, Vancouver mission. Less then an hour ago, I met president and I must say that I am liking what I've seen. Both President and Sister Burt have an amazing love for the missionaries here despite not knowing them for very long. Their first training earlier this morning really helped me understand why it's necessary to sacrifice so much to the lord as you serve him. I've been hearing that we'll start working with ipad minis, though I can't say that this is 100% confirmed.

Our finding has been good this week although as you may expect, not too many lessons have gone through as we would have liked. There is however, a very large miracle that was placed in our path when I was on an exchange with Elder Olson last Sunday. His name is Dail and Elder Burns and I taught him a couple times last week, He's a single dad and has a couple of daughters who seemed to not mind listening into the discussion as well. Dail said that he is grateful for that day we came knocking on his door. He's been reading the Book of Mormon quite frequently and has really enjoyed it. We also set a baptismal date for August 2nd and he came to church with his two girls on Sunday! :)

My birthday was a blast! Elder Rolfson and Olson came over for lunch and to my surprise they bought a DQ cake! Then a recent convert, Sasha took us out for lunch at a Thai restaurant downtown. She also bought me the coolest paisley tie as a gift! Then to finish things off we helped Brother B out with some service. We had pizza and another ice cream cake after that. Don't worry we still had enough time to do finding that evening. ;)

Well that's all there is to report at this time. I'm really excited to work with our new mission president and be sure to keep them in your prayers. Love you all and special thanks to those who sent me the birthday wishes.

Sincerely,
Elder Maclean Samis

  

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