Miracle after Miracle

This may be hard to believe -                                                                                            10/28/12

But this has undoubtedly been the best week of my mission, possibly my life. What incredible blessings we are experiencing! As Elder Whiting said this week, "It has hard to record celestial experiences in a telestial world."

Wednesday Elder Whiting came into Roanoke and addressed half the mission. He is  down to earth, a dry sense of humor and very straightforward. Elder Klain conducted the meeting and welcomed everyone and then began to intorduce Elder Whiting by reading a Bio from LDS.org. Just as he started reading Elder Whiting told him to stop, and just let him begin talking. It took everyone off gaurd and Elder Whiting got up. He started by saying, "It doesn't really matter who I am, all that matters is that I am on assignment from the Quorum of the 12 Apostles." He taught a lot on unity and his over all feel, was that we can do better. He didn't come down on obedience or faith or desire so much as he explained that we have all those things, and now we need to stop living below our potential. He said everything that needed to be said. It was an excellent meeting Tuesday as well as the one in Charleston on Thursday. That day I got to have an interview with him. We didn't have much time, we sat down had a prayer and he said," Lets cut to the chase, what can I do for you Elder?" Is there any greater question to be asked by a general authority? It was extremely impactful to be asked that. I talked to him about how I could take things to the next level spiritually. We had a nice discussion.

Thursday night we had dinner and a lesson with Marice and John, she was feeling healthy and great. We pretty much finished up the lessons and she was set to be baptized this weekend. She is amazing!! John is coming along as well and they have a temple marriage in their sights. She is a rock solid convert. Today her husband and daughter came to church for the first time, it was the primary program. They really enjoyed it and felt very comfortable. Marcie was baptized after church and it was incredible. The Spirit was so strong, I feel it now even as I reflect on it. I was privileged to be the one to baptize her. Ah it was everything I hoped it would be for her. The Relief Society is absolutely ecstatic to have her in the church. She has canned almost her whole life and has already been very active in their socials. It was a wonderful day.

On top of the baptism today this non member showed up at church. This might be confusing, but it was a very fortifying experience. While in Roanoke last year I had a dream about a woman that came to church, that looked sort of like a witch, and had trouble with her car and we baptized her. It was a very weird dream and i didn't think too much of it til last week. This Less Active member came to church for the first time in years. She looked very familiar and then while sitting in the second hour of church it clicked, she was the woman from my dream! I went and talked to her afterwards and found out she was living out of her car, I was thinking that she must be the woman and surely we would baptize her, but then I found out she was already a member. Anyways I told Elder Klain about it after church and kind of wrote it off. Then today she comes again, this time a little late to sacrament. Immediately after sacrament, she comes up and says, "I brought an investigator!" We stepped into the hallway and she explained what happened. She said she was driving to church and got a flat tire. She said she was praying to God somewhat cursing him for giving her a flat tire when she was trying to do the right thing and go to church. As she sat there, this man David came up to her on the side of the road and asked if he could help her. She was very appreciative and invited him to church. Surprisingly he came and he LOVED it. He asked us if he could be baptized, what he had to do to be part of the church, the whole bit. He stayed for the baptism, we taught him after church and set him for the end of November. It was amazing!! Not only did he just come, but the Lord gave me a dream to prepare for this experience. What a day.

Half the Charleston Zone

Finally we have really tried to reach the standard of excellence every week to show the mission it is possible. We were short on lessons and new people to to teach. The Lord sent us one to church already, and then we prayed to know where we could find a few more. We visited a Less Active referred to us by the bishop and it wasn't really going anywhere as we were on his porch figuring out how this was going to work, his daughter in law came out to smoke. We had an excellent discussion with her, she opened up began bawling and allowed us to teach her. I am just grateful.

I love y'all so much!

Elder Dumke

Elder Klain and Elder Dumke with Halloween Cookies.

Bro. Frost and Danny Robinson

Another Good One

10/21/12

This week has been another good one! I am feeling good, but a little nervous for this next week. Elder Whiting is coming in Tuesday and we will be conducting the Meetings with him and the mission Tuesday and Wednesday.Have you ever thought about the Un-Godly attributes? Things like embarrassed, or negative or stressed.  Knowing that I can get easily stressed, I prayed as we took the sacrament to know what I could do. The talk directly afterwards was on gratitude. A talk given by Elder Nelson a few conferences ago. This week I have decided to replace the word stressed with grateful. I am grateful Elder Whiting is coming to bless our mission. I am grateful to be able to conduct in a meeting to help me grow. I am really excited this thought replacement process. I know that Dumkes are immune to stressing about things... but thought it was a nugget with sharing with the bloodline.

We were able to teach Marcie on Thursday night and it went really well. She is excited for her baptism, and her husband is coming right along as well. Unfortunately she came down with some horrible Bronchitis. She had lung cancer at age 30 so she had to have a lung removed. Of all the people to have lung cancer in WV, she never smoked a cigarette in her life. Coughing is horrendous so her, so she wasn't able to come to church, and we may move it back a week but it might good. She is converted, but we want it to be a special day for her, not a day being super sick.

Thursday we had helped someone for like 20 minutes and then had to run, but we set up to visit them a few days later. She is the daughter of a member in Elder Klain's old area and we had a way good lesson. She is a lawyer in town and is very interested. We are excited about her! Always great to have an investigator that likes to read! Earlier this week I got to go on exchanges with Elder Maxwell. It was the first time in nearly a year getting to serve with him. we have both grown a lot, but it was just like old times being in Cave Spring. Love you all so much1

Yall be careful!

Elder Dumke

Drum Roll.....

10/15/12

After an awesome interview with President, I feel confident in coming home in January. We discussed school, mission, post mission, all of that. He can release thirty days before the day I entered the MTC. We decided on January 4th. It is way scary how soon that day is. I am happy to finally be able to rest on a decision now.  I am excited, but I am even more excited that I am at the point where I can love the mission this much. I wasn't sure I would feel this way. But I can honestly say that I have loved this time as a missionary.

A week of Miracles

Good Morning Family -                                                                                       10/15/12

I loved hearing from you this week and getting Mom's packages and letters. I am so grateful for you. I love you so much! This week was incredible and I know it was because of your prayers.

On Tuesday we Blitzed down in Buena Vista, meaning we both left the area for the day and worked with the companionships down there. It went really well. Wednesday was amazing and we had the best lesson ever in the Long's home. Sister Long's husband isn't a member of the church, but he was supportive of us teaching Sister Long's friend in their home. We had dinner with the Long's and Marcie and her husband. I can hardly believe how prepared Marcie is. She loves the gospel so much and the more she learns the more she loves it. Wednesday was our first lesson with her, but we set with a baptismal date for October 28th. It was pretty shocking to everyone because that is only in a few weeks, but she is going to make it. She is a wonderful lady and just by talking with her you would think she is a member already. Sunday we had another lesson after church with her husband, teaching the Plan of Salvation. They said it anwered a lot of the questions they have always had, especially concerning Adam and Eve. As we taught Pre-Earth Life we explained that God a perfected body; she responded with, "Wait, Heavenly Father has a body? That is awesome!" We are soo happy for her!

Sister Surface is doing very well too! She came to church yesterday fasting for the first time. We had some really good lessons with her and she is so ready, she is growing to the point where she can say, "I am Mormon." Her family is strong Catholic, so she really wants a firm testimony before baptism. Right before ending our fast with her we got a call from a lady in New Mexico. She met the missionaries a year ago at the apartments they used to live in and she came to church a few times. Then she moved to New Mexico and met the missionaries there too. She is moving back to Charleston next month and she wants to join the church. It was one of those miracle phone calls, you always pray happens when you see an unfamiliar number.

I love you all so much.

Elder Dumke

General Conference Feast

10/7/12

Oh Boy I am stuffed!

What an amazing week this has been! The new missionaries came in Tuesday evening and it was a treat to be with them. They have such strong faith and a desire to serve. We spent Monday and Tuesday preparing for the huge transfer on Wednesday. There were over 70 changes in the mission. Nearly every companionship changed so logistics was crazy. We had a great transfer meeting, where all those that come in to charleston come and have a meeting. It is always really looked forward to being around such a strong group. As we were closing up the building there was a family cutting down a huge tree, so offered to be back in an hour with work clothes to help them out. They were very willing to let us help out. We had a good time with them and they invited us for dinner a few days later.

Thursday we woke up at 3:30 to take all the departing missionaries home, then had enough time to crawl back in bed at the mission home for a while. We had to prepare for Zone Leader Council the following day. It was an awesome meeting as well. The mission is doing better than it ever has in obedience and success. The Lord has opened the windows of heaven in our mission. I don't know if I told you this before or not, but we used to get $170 on our support card each month, but we felt it was too much, so lowered it to 150. Since that time amazing miracles have happened. The principle of tithes held us as mission made its funds more sacred. After ZLC we had dinner with Jeff and Vlinda (our tree people). They are your traditional WV natives that moved into the city from the country. He is a brick mason and she loves to hunt bear. They are a way nice couple. We had a good country meal of dumplings, biscuits, green beans and chicken with them. Afterward we taught them and they said they were open to the lessons. The best part is they live literally right across from the church.

OH! and General Conference was amazing! We watched it all at the church. We were with President when they made the age change for missionaries. It is pretty crazy that no one except the 12 knew it was happening. It will certainly change missionary work and we are expecting a lot more sisters to serve. It was amazing to watch that revelation flow. It is basically the biggest change in church policy during my lifetime. Today we watched the morning session at the church. Sister Long brought her friend Marcie with her. We were shocked to see her there. Friday night we got a call from Sis Long that Marcie's car had been hit from the back by an 18 wheeler on the freeway on their way back from DC. It was scary there for a while. She LOVED conference this morning and after the session we gave her a blessing. Sis Long was bawling the whole time. Afterwards Marcie explained when she was in the hospital they asked her religious preference and she answered Mormon. She continued to say that she wasn't one that understood why people would testify, but every since she has been reading th Book Of Mormon she literally wants to tell everyone about it. We get to teach our first official lesson with her Wednesday Night at Sis Long's home. She is amazing!

President has challenged all the Zone Leaders and us to get the standard of excellence this week.  The following week Elder Whiting will be visiting the mission. He spoke in the Saturday Session of Conference actually. It is getting late and we just finished numbers. But I will send some more tomorrow.

Friday night we had a fun time with the Surfaces carving Pumpkins. This is Noah their 2 year old trying to spit on my pumpkin to put out the candle. He is so funny! 

 Love you so much!

Elder Dumke

Transfer Day & Photos 9/30/12

This week is transfers and crazy busy. I will write Tuesday Morning... hopefully.

These are photos of our plan of salvation cake that we kind of made and then taught to Brietta. The lesson went way well!

Dear Family-

I wouldn't have had time to write today, but the new missionaries flight got delayed by an hour. Thankfully I get to send a quick something. It is crazy to think that 20 months ago it was me entering the MTC, trying to prepare for my experience in the field. I am so grateful for the missionaries I had to look up to when I came in, it seems like a lot of pressure to be their first impression of WVCM missionary. Things have going well though. I am still loving serving with Elder Klain and Charleston is great. The picture that i attached sunday of cake was definitely my favorite experience of the week. We taught Brietta the Plan of Salvation by decorating the cake with frosting and sprinkles of each stage. Thankfully I just got a package from MB with cake supplies to save the day. We taught in a members home and it was a really fun and good lesson.

Sister Surface has been super sick over the last week so we haven't been able to see her at all, but the rest of her family was at church and ward members really helped them feel loved. Jill and Alan are friends of member that leaves deep in the sticks. She is at the end and bottom of this holler. It was a miracle we found them, but we taught them two weeks ago and followed up last weeek. She had read the first 13 chapters of the Book of Mormon, done this study called questions of the soul and wrote full answers for each question. The don't have much education, but they said one thing their Mother made sure they understood was to read. And they read well. They have very little, but give us a big bag of fresh homegrown tomatoes each time we come.

General Conference is this weekend and we have been contacting less actives and asking them if we can come and watch it with them, or inviting them to the church. We aren't sure what we will be doing yet, but it will be good regardless. I am so excited for it. Yesterday we had a meeting with President and afterwards he thought it would be good to teach us doctrine after our meetings. He knows so so much and is an amazing teacher. It was so neat to have a personal lesson with him on the law of consecration and stewardship. I have learned so much!

Love yall!

Elder Dumke

Hey!

  9/23/12

So I had a bit of a crazy beginning to the week! I travelled down to Buena Vista for exchanges with Young Single Adult Zone Leaders. In Buena Vista is Southern Virginia University, which is similar to BYU, where it has the church standards and most of the students are members, but it isn't sponsored by the church. Anyway it is like mini Utah down there. It was really strange. So we travel there on a Monday and get there in time for the student Family Home Evening, headed up by the one and only Rebecca Rayburn. It was so crazy. It threw me off, but it was really good to see her. I guess she should be getting her call this week and I heard thru her that Jordan Jones is off to Chile for her mission. After working there we came back to Charleston. It is a 3 hour drive so any exchange involves 12 hours of travel. I haven't enjoyed road trips that much, but now we just talk and talk and talk. We can't hardly stand to listen to talks on CD, because we learn so much by discussing. We have learned to try and make every moment productive and fun!

We had a good lesson with Sister Surface again this week. This Friday we are all fasting to know if she is ready to be baptized. She struggles a bit, with getting on the in with members socially, so that is kind of the next step. She read a few more chapters in the Book of Mormon and read half the Ensign about Temples. WE had awesome experience with her on Wednesday. Right before the lesson we felt prompted to teach tithing. It didn't really fit with her progression, but we taught it and it was going well. In the middle of the lesson, she somewhat stopped us with a smile and tears in her eyes that she understood more with the lessons, than she had her whole life growing up in her church. She said, "I Know who God is." It was one of moments where every little bit is worth it. Who would of thought a tithing lesson, would help her understand that? She again said the closing prayer and did a phenomenal job.

Friday night we had a dinner with a fairly recent convert. We always eat at her mom's house with her non member mom. When we came Friday, there was a new face there. Her name was Brietta. She was taught by missionaries a year ago and we started teaching again. She came to church today and we are teaching her in a members home next week. Things are looking good. Love yall so much

Elder Dumke

9/16/12

Connie Angel did in fact get baptized today. It was awesome. It was a huge feat for her because when she was a little girl her cousin tried to drown her, but she made it through. This week has been really good. We did lots of driving down through Virginia and it was beautiful. The leaves are starting to change and there is no better time to be driving around. Over the last few weeks it has a been a big change in how I do missionary work. 

Elder Klain and I work well together even though we have different teaching styles. He really is good at helping people feel confident in sharing the gospel and we teach to help strengthen their testimonies. It has been such a blessing to work with the members of the ward.

We had an amazing lesson with Sister Surface this week. Over the last few weeks she didn't want to pray in front of us. Like so adamant about it. Last lesson, she starts it off by saying, "Well I would like to start our lesson with a prayer." and then says a perfect prayer. We talked about the temple and helped her understand the blessings of eternal families. She liked it and we can literally see her countenance changing. I am so sorry my emails are so short these days. But I hope it is enough to know that I am doing well, loving Charleston, and I love you like crazy.

Much Love, Elder Dumke

PS. The little 8 year old boy that got baptized is a recent convert family we have been working with to help prepare him. He was baptized today too.