Hello one and all - 11/14/11
I have to start out by saying how much I really do love my mission. I feel so fortunate to be in the situation I am. I am grateful for a fun and hard working companion, for a dedicated and inspired mission president and for a loving, caring Father in Heaven. This week I am especially grateful for the Book of Mormon. There some tough times this week but exceeding the pain and doubt that we sometimes feel is the joy that immediately follows. That joy almost always resulted in a verse or chapter in the Book of Mormon. I read and re-read Alma 36 and 37 this week. I can't believe all the answers I received to my prayers thru those two chapters.
We began teaching 4 new people this week! 1 by tracting, 1 by a member referral and 2 were friends of former stake president, President Mcbride in his home. President McBride is buddy - buddy with Mitt Romney and they talk multiple times a week. They were mission companions in Paris. Despite how incredibly busy President is he made time for his two friends to come spend an evening with us. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God" The two friends are the wife and and mother in law of another member named Jamil. Jamil is from the middle east and has the most amazing conversion story. He was studying to be a Greek Orthodox Father and was given every worldly thing you can imagine from the church. A house to sleep in, a credit card with provided money and they sent him to a theology school to learn how to be qualified. He wanted to learn more about the life of Christ and didn't feel they would teach him what he wanted to know. So while riding on a bus in Athens he say two elder with Jesus Christ on their name badge. So he went and talked to them. They gave him the only Joseph Smith Pamphlet they had in Arabic and got his contact information. They met everyday for a few weeks, sometimes multiple time a day, until he was baptized. The night after he was baptized he was kicked out of his home at 4:30 am and left with nothing on winter night. He said it was freezing cold and sat outside with the book of mormon clenched across chest, but felt warm and happier than he had ever felt in his life. He is a convert of 14 years and now translates all of General Conference and any church films into arabic for the church. He is an amazing person. So we had our first lesson with his wife and mother in law. It went extremely well and we are going to start teaching the rest of the family as well. It was awesome!
We also taught Bill, someone who has come to a church for over a year now and finally allowed us to teach him. We had dinner with him and his wife and had a great first lesson afterwards. unfortunately he is going out of town for the next 3 weeks...
We had exchanges and loaned a few copies of Book of Mormon by praying with a little more faith, and giving it all we got. It seems no matter how hard you work there is always more to give and as a result we found two people interested in the Gospel.
Saturday we split wood and raked leaves with less active members and then had dinner with an inactive family. It went really well and we went up to the Roanoke Star afterwards. Largest man made star or something. It was beautiful and a lot of fun.
Well I love yall so much and am so excited for the holiday season. Miss you and talk to you soon.
Much Love,
Elder Dumke
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