June 29, 2015 - Area 4: Surrey East

A Heat Wave

As we move towards July, so ends another week in the field. Elder Tolman came here on Wednesday morning and we immediately got to work. The same day Elder Tolman got a pretty interesting first look at what can sometimes happen in Surrey. We were waiting for the bus and street contacting at the Guildford mall bus terminal when a man who was clearly under the influence of something approached me and got in my face a little. He wasn't angry at me but he talked about his poor posture and how he just had surgery even though I couldn't understand what he was saying. Next thing I knew he started walking backwards into the busy traffic! A lady who realized what he was doing grabbed his arm and pulled him away and he collapsed on to the side walk seemingly in lala land. Elder Lawlor called 911 and a fire engine and an ambulance came to help. We caught our bus home for lunch just after. So what happened in Surrey this week? Uh-huh, we just about saw a man get killed.

In terms of teaching, we've been once again trying to teach Levi and Sonya about the nature of God though it seems like what we're trying to do is limited because of the language barrier. They told us that they aren't interested in going to the Richmond Chinese Ward because they want to be with the Cardwells when they go to church. Elder Lawlor has been doing a great job at helping them. He used to teach English to a kindergarten class when he lived in Japan.

We also taught a guy named David yesterday and gave him a church tour. Even though he has his own unique ideas about God, he is opened  to learning more about the church. His father and his family are Mormon. Unfortunately, Jonathan has been getting really flaky again lately. Other then that there isn't too much to talk about. Stake conference was this past weekend.  Hope all is well for those of you who are out of school. Have a great first week of July!

Elder Maclean Samis     

June 22, 2015 - Area 4: Surrey East

Return of the Tri

Happy Fathers Day and Summer Solstice! The weather is hot and sunny and the days are longer then ever. So begins another week in Surrey and my 17th month as a missionary is in the books. I'm getting old now and that means more pressure is on the way as I reach towards the end of it all. Life will never be the same afterward.

Transfers just passed and Elder Lawlor will be staying in Surrey East but we have another third Elder joining us. His name is Elder Tollman and he's half Chinese. I don't know a lot about him but we talked to him on the phone the other day and he seems like a cool guy. He's been out almost as long as I have so there will be plenty on experience between the 3 of us. As difficult as the last transfer was, we're getting ready to rock and roll for the next one!

In other interesting news Elder Bonfield has been moved to Nanaimo North to be a zone leader! He's really excited to go back to the island. I hope to be able to serve around him again some time.

We've taught a few more lessons this week. On Friday Elder Hall and I went on an exchange, got lost a bit because I still don't know the transit routes that well, but we taught Jonathan. Just after our lesson with him about the Word of Wisdom we went to a nearby park where the church had a BBQ from 5:00 - 8:00 pm! Elder Lawlor and I are both broke and haven't been able to eat a whole lot so we ate so much there we were pretty much sick after.

Levi and Sonya were taught by Elder Lawlor and Elder Hay yesterday while I was placed with

Elder Lau. We met this really nice Christian guy named Sam who we sort of had a well- lets call it a debate about our beliefs on the Restoration. Sam told me that he could tell that I was rather unhappy that what I was trying to tell him wasn't being understood so I got rather humbled by that. He can't say that he believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet but he noticed that I was struggling and prayed for me after the discussion. It's so nice to see people like that forgive you even when they're not from your faith. I learned a valuable lesson to be bold but not overbearing and sore when people don't agree with you.

Well this is all there is to say I guess. I'm grateful for my Father hear on the earth and for his patience in putting up with us for all these years. I know little about being a Father, but I know its a sacred responsibility in our Heavenly Father's plan. I love him so much as well. May we all respect and honor our Fathers throughout our lives. I understand that there are some who were aware of my hard circumstances over the past few weeks that have been fasting and praying hard for me. Thank you. I love you all the more for that as well. Enjoy the start of summer!

Elder Samis 

June 15, 2015 - 4th Area: Surrey East

Walking ... and Walking

Its another beautiful day in Surrey, BC. Its been a pretty good week but also another sore one. Sunday evenings and bus schedules are 2 things that shouldn't go together. Last night we had to walk about 5 km to our house all the way from Guildford mall, all because our bus stopped running. The last bus that takes us home on Sunday comes at 6:45 pm so I'm not sure what we'll be able to do each Sunday evening except tracting around our place.We didn't get home until 9:45 pm.

We didn't have very many lessons this week. Since Keara doesn't have a phone, we decided to give her information to the sisters so we don't just have to drop in on her and set tentative appointments without a male member. We had a delicious Fijian styled crab dinner at the Cardwell's home on Thursday and taught Levi and Sonya the plan of salvation in their home afterwards. They couldn't come to church because they have been touring around Banff. We didn't teach Jonathan this week but the good news is he came to church and seems to be doing okay.

What else did we do? Walked a lot. All over the place. The weather hasn't been quite as hot as it was last week, fortunately. We've been blessed with some more solid potentials and some very kind people that have given us some kind gestures. A glass of water for instance. Those sure helped! I wish there was more to tell you but there isn't really. Uh... I'm more tired? That's all. Same old same old minus our car. Have a great week everyone! Summers on the way.

Elder Maclean Samis  

June 8, 2015 - Area 4: Surrey East

The Breath of Life

I'm tired. If only I could leave this week's message at that but I can't because I love you guys.

It's been a better week then last, results wise. Elder Lawlor and I went on an exchange with the assistants on Tuesday. Elder Lawlor went with Elder Lewis and I was placed with one of my old MTC buddies, Elder Cottingham. I had a great trip with him. We've both noticed immense changes in each other since that time over 16 months ago when we were in the MTC together.  Gosh, we've been out that long? We found and dropped by a few former investigators. Elder Cottingham being the monster of a missionary that he is managed to find a couple of YSA people and set baptismal dates with them almost as soon as he met them! He sent there info to the YSA Langley ward Elders who will be teaching them.

What happened the next day? Another exchange - this time with the zone leaders. I went to Delta with Elder Hall and we saw some good success there. We talked to a really cool Vietnamese lady named Jeana who was really into the idea of the Book of Mormon. Her English was pretty much perfect. She agreed to read it and she has a return appointment for next week. Elder Lawlor and Elder Green found a miracle of a man named Jonathan who we saw the very next day. We taught him at the church employment center since he's been looking for work. We taught him about baptism along with the word of wisdom and set a baptismal date for July 7th!    

Elder Lewis and Elder Lawlor taught Levi, the man who came to church with the Cardwell family, and his wife Sonya. Both of them are from Taiwan and will only be in Canada for another 6 months so it's likely they will be passed on to the Chinese Missionaries in Richmond. Elder Lawlor knows how to write Mandarin so he did most of the teaching with characters on a piece of paper defining words. They understood baptism and they have a date for July 7th!

Last Saturday Elder Lawlor and I found a young woman named Keara while tracting. She's been a strict atheist much of her life and only went to a church with her friend back when she was younger. When Elder Green and Elder Lawlor taught her on the exchange she seemed to feel the spirit quite strongly.    

Towards the end, our week became exceedingly sore. Our car was taken away from us on Wednesday since there are some missionaries in Kelowna that need a car real bad so now we're on transit. Our bus passes costed a whopping 91 dollars and thank goodness the church filled our cards and allowed us to purchase them. So now we're off in the scorching heat sweating like crazy doing missionary work. It's been quite the experience really. It can only get better though as we now have a pretty good looking teaching pool mainly a result of our exchanges which proved to be our little "breath of life." Perhaps the storm of struggle is finally lifting and now we can press forward. Have an awesome week!

Elder Maclean Samis     

June 1, 2015 - Area 4: Surrey East

The Big Party

So begins another week of what's been a challenging transfer in Surrey. The short sum of the week involves a lot of personal finding throughout the week. Our legs and feet have become exceedingly sore. We've gone everywhere from Surrey Central to Gilford Mall, to the darker side of town. Once again, we have found a few potentials just as we did last week, none of them which turned out.   

On Friday morning we taught Betty but she told us that her husband is apparently not very pleased with our meetings with her. She says she knows that the Book of Mormon is true and says that she will have to talk to her husband about the meetings and we all agreed to pray for him and her. 

The main event that took place that should be noted is the cancer fundraising party the relief society threw on Saturday. We spent an hour helping to decorate and get the tables ready. The next day it started at 1:00 pm and we prepared and served the food for a few hours with a few of the Langley YSA members. The Surrey West Elders were there and it was pretty cool seeing Elder Bonfield (who used to manage the kitchen of a restaurant in Ontario) with his kitchen face on. It was a great event to be a part of. The party raised about $2300! We came back later the same night and ate dinner and took home some much needed leftovers. We finally got our debit cards filled on Friday which was also very welcoming since we had to live on practically noodles, cereal, and peanut butter toast for the 3 days before. 

On Sunday we had a Korean guy named Levi show up at church with Brother and Sister Cardwell. Its his first time going to a church and he seemed to really like it. That was the only investigator we found this week. Jim never showed up for his appointment on Sunday after church and we haven't heard from him since.  

Hope your enjoying this first day of June. It's mostly cloudy here right now but still around 20 degrees. A certain lady we talked to on the street the other day told us that 2015 will likely be the hottest year the province has seen in a long time. Hopefully I don't move to Osoyoos this summer!

Elder Maclean Samis      

May 25, 2015 - Area 4: Surrey East

Adjusting To The Big City

Hello again everyone, it's been a challenging week here in Surrey East. Navigating the area has been difficult and I'm still adjusting to the contacting we do in Surrey central.

We had a mini missionary come out with us on Friday night and he stayed and worked with us. Brother Leano is 16 and is from the Delta ward. He did great! We went to Surrey Central and he talked to a few people there. He's a quieter guy but he did a great job of stepping out of his comfort zone. It made me reflect on how things were at the start of my mission.

During this mini mission, we taught a man named Jim, Sunday evening. Jim is from the Philippines. We had a great lesson with him. He was invited to be baptized and said he would pray to know if he should. Ammol has been passed on to the Langley YSA Elders. We were unable to see Betty. We couldn't get a member to come out with us to a lesson with her so we couldn't have one. We re-scheduled for this Tuesday.  

We've found a few potentials this week and I'll let you know if any of them turn into anything. Unfortunately, Elder Lawlor  and I don't have much money or much food. We'll do some shopping today and thankfully, the great members of this ward have been taking care of some of our dinners! I'm grateful to be here and for the hardships I've been facing. I know they are making me stronger. There's this old saying that we have here in the mission field that "If things are easy, you're not growing." This will certainly apply well throughout the rest of my life! Enjoy the sunshine as summer gets closer! Till next time,

Elder Maclean Samis

May 19, 2015 - Area 4: Surrey East

Diversity

I don't really want to write this weeks email knowing how long it will probably turn out at the end of the day but I suppose I better, so sit back and get ready for a ramble!. I couldn't write it yesterday due to the Victoria Day weekend. All the libraries in Surrey were closed and so was the church employment center. 

Where do I begin here...? Ah yes, Elder Heiner and I spent our remaining days in Campbell River saying goodbye to everyone. We were given our travel plans Tuesday night after some tough goodbyes to Britaini and Candace. We had to leave at 7 that night and stayed with the zone leaders over night before catching the 12:45 pm ferry the next day.  

Remember that email last week when I told you guys that I was going to be placed with Elder Bonfield and another Elder in a tri in Surrey West? Well, turns out that that assistants accidentally misinformed me about my transfer news. Another assistant informed Elder Bonfield that he was going to be placed with Elder Slack in Surrey West who was going to be transferred from Clearbrook. This was the correct info but I was told otherwise. My new zone leaders (Elders Green & Hall) told me I was actually supposed to be placed in Surrey EAST with Elder Fitamant and Elder Lawlor. So it was. Elder Bonfield is my district leader. 

Elder Lawlor is from Japan originally but lived in Calgary a little before his mission. He has 3 months left. Elder Fitamant moved from France to Quebec for a few years before he got sent on his mission. He had only served 3 months before going back home yesterday for unknown reasons. Its expected that he'll come back on his mission in 6 months or so. Its a shame too because I really liked him despite not being with him for long at all. His English had been pretty good.

So now here I am with just Elder Lawlor is Surrey West. I'm terrible at explaining things so I hope you haven't been confused yet. :P How's Elder Lawlor? He's been good. He loves to cook, especially Japanese food which is awesome. Speaking of Japanese food, we went to a Japanese restaurant on Friday for lunch with Elder Bonfield and Elder Slack. Here's a look at the 3 of us during our half-week long companionship:

How's Surrey? Surrey is a very diverse place. You'll find every race of people imaginable here. Plenty of asians, natives, whites, blacks, you name it, this town probably has it!   As challenging as it's seemed with the much faster then Campbell River pace, it's been a lot of fun. We've done much of our contacting at Surrey central downtown at the bus terminal. The feeling of being there for the first time can be best described as feeling like you're a 14 year old at your first church dance. There are so many girls-or in this case people to talk to yet you're scared to do it. It's overwhelming!  Has the nerves of talking to people about the gospel on the street ever gone away since the beginning of my mission? Not really. It seems to never go away altogether. It's just something that has to be done.

Teaching has been good so far. We've been teaching a new investigator named Betty. She's Mexican and is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. Her and her 13 year old daughter are undecided about which church is true though they are of strong Christian faith. They used to go to their church but aren't practicing, mostly just searching. When I told her that Jesus visited the Americas in the Book of Mormon she was really excited about it! We taught her with Brother Smith, our ward mission leader.

The other main person we're working with right now is Ammol. He's a Y.S.A. aged East Indian man who was given a copy of the Book of Mormon a few days before I came to the area. He says he found it very interesting, so much so that he read all of 1 Nephi before we came back for his next lesson! He has a baptismal date for June 23rd. Make sure you keep him in your prayers! 

Our ward here is a big one with 140 active members and people of every kind. We had our first dinner appointment with a Polynesian couple named the Kawjiks. They're awesome! I've heard that out of all the zones in the mission, the Surrey zone gets fed the most! Well to conclude these remarks, I'll end by saying thank you for your prayers as I've traveled. My mission keeps getting harder, but also very rewarding. I hope everyone has been well as the weather has improved. Yesterday was a bright and sunny 27 degrees here and it looks like it will be just as nice today! Love you all!

Elder Maclean Samis