The Soup 8/22/11

We hauled Collin's cardboard standup with us to Hebgen!

So here is the turnaround.
We taught Wayne again this week. His health is improving and is still scheduled to visit with Doctors at the VA weekly. He has continued reading and studying. He is asking questions and intrigued. We took the next big step with him. We invited and committed him to stop drinking. He has been nearly an alcoholic for 45 years post Vietnam. He has gotten rid of every drop of alcohol in his home and hasn't had a drink in 4 days! The miracle of it all is the member who came with us to teach him. We had someone lined up to come out, but last minute had to bail. We frantically called Bro Hoffman. He bore his testimony to Wayne, that the moment he decided to be baptized he quit drinking and smoking and hasn't since that day. It was a very inspirational story and gave Wayne the encouragement he needed. We didn't even know Bro Hoffman's story, but it couldn't have worked out better.

This coming Sunday is Stake Conference and there is an apostle coming! Elder Cook will be visiting and speaking to the Stake. It will be the first time in 25 years that there is a member of the 12 here. I am so grateful that I get to be here for it. It is going to be such a powerful experience for the investigators to here an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Miraculous Mower
Greg Fink lives in the hills and mows lawns for a living. He has recently been having trouble with his mower. His mower completely died right before we got there last week. He was depressed and preoccupied by it. We shared a spiritual message with him and closed with a prayer, praying that all would work out with his lawn mower. Fast forward a few days to our next appointment. As we show up at 8pm he is out in front of his house doing donuts in his brand new 2010 yard machine. A real sight to behold. As we talked we come to find out that he called someone for a part and they said they knew someone selling a mower. Long story short he got a brand new riding lawnmower for a 100 bucks. The Lord really knows our needs and our personalaities. This is exactly what Greg needed. We set a date for baptism in late september.

Sure love ya
Elder Dumke

Naturally Disastrous

8/29/11
Yo -
 
As I am sure you have heard Mother Nature was a bit upset with this side of the country. On the day of the earthquake we drove in to see a less active member. He is a one of kind guy. We asked how he was doing immediately and he responded with, "Good, now that I have survived that earthquake!" Ha Elder Havertz looked at each other giving the look of, "Sure ya did..." We didn't believe him. It wasn't until an hour later that while we were tracting we heard some people talking on the street about where the epicenter was. Clearly it happened, but I don't think I felt it. It seems like most people didn't feel it. Needless to say, you don't need to be worried. As far as the hurricane, we were unaffected. It got a little more humid and windy these past few days, but nothing major.
 




We were missing Collin so the Family decided to haul his cardboard standup to Montana with us in his honor.






Despite all the chaos, we had an excellent stake conference with Elder Quintin L. Cook of the 12 apostles. It was incredible. We got to go to both sessions. When he stood up each time, he had no notes and he openly admitted he wasn't sure what he would be talking about. It turned out incredible. Some of my favorite points: "The atonement covers all that is unfair in life." He said he will be speaking next general conference on why bad things happen to good people. I am really looking forward to it. He also spoke the next day on becoming. I don't have the exact quote but in essence said, " There is not anything that can defeat a determined soul." and "You are defined by how you live the eternal everyday." We also heard from Elder Lansing of the 70. He was fantastic. On saturday night he spoke about the hurricane as it was happening. He repeatedly used the phrase "as we speak." "As we speak there are vans driving up from Georgia to distribute chainsaws, satelite phones and water to those at the epicenter of the hurricane. As we speak there are nearly 50 priesthood brethren driving from Richmond to Virginia Beach to help others in need." He shared it with tears in his eyes. It was very touching and testimony builder of all the good the church does. He didn't tell it to show off what it does, but to humbly inform the members of the relief efforts.
 
As for our efforts on the week. We began teaching our next door neighbor. We taught him before we moved, then we stopped, and then we moved next door. It was awkward those first couple weeks seeing him everyday. Finally we felt we should go talk to him. We set up an appointment last tuesday and taught about Faith and Repentance. He told us he wants to and needs to be baptized. It was sp reassuring to hear him say that. We had another lesson with him and he came to stake conference yesterday and loved it. We are really excited about him.
 
Last monday night we got a call from Wayne right before we were to go into the lesson.  He told us he was beginning the Book of Mormon for the the 4th time and he felt something he never felt before. His mind is full of history, but he said he could feel it in his heart. He made it through the week without drinking and is going on 10 days now!
 
At stake conference I didn't get to shake Elder Cook's hand which I was little bummed about. As we were walking out the doors this guy asked us to put the wheelchair back for him. We had no clue where it went, but told him we would take care of it. As we walked back in the building we crossed Elder Cooks path and got to talk to him for a moment. I wouldn't have had the opportunity if we were not willing to help.
 
We had zone conference, encouraging us to limit tracting and to work with member more. Still trying to get the hang of it. I love you and am doing just fine!
 
Much Love,
Elder Dumke
 



The Soup

8/22/11

So here is the turnaround.

We taught Wayne again this week. His health is improving and is still scheduled to visit with Doctors at the VA weekly. He has continued reading and studying. He is asking questions and intrigued. We took the next big step with him. We invited and committed him to stop drinking. He has been nearly an alcoholic for 45 years post Vietnam. He has gotten rid of every drop of alcohol in his home and hasn't had a drink in 4 days! The miracle of it all is the member who came with us to teach him. We had someone lined up to come out, but last minute had to bail. We frantically called Bro Hoffman. He bore his testimony to Wayne, that the moment he decided to be baptized he quit drinking and smoking and hasn't since that day. It was a very inspirational story and gave Wayne the encouragement he needed. We didn't even know Bro Hoffman's story, but it couldn't have worked out better.

This coming Sunday is Stake Conference and there is an apostle coming! Elder Cook will be visiting and speaking to the Stake. It will be the first time in 25 years that there is a member of the 12 here. I am so grateful that I get to be here for it. It is going to be such a powerful experience for the investigators to here an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Miraculous Mower
Greg Fink lives in the hills and mows lawns for a living. He has recently been having trouble with his mower. His mower completely died right before we got there last week. He was depressed and preoccupied by it. We shared a spiritual message with him and closed with a prayer, praying that all would work out with his lawn mower. Fast forward a few days to our next appointment. As we show up at 8pm he is out in front of his house doing donuts in his brand new 2010 yard machine. A real sight to behold. As we talked we come to find out that he called someone for a part and they said they knew someone selling a mower. Long story short he got a brand new riding lawnmower for a 100 bucks. The Lord really knows our needs and our personalaities. This is exactly what Greg needed. We set a date for baptism in late september.

Sure love ya
Elder Dumke

End of another Transfer

This is Crawford Jones getting baptized in three weeks.

Dear Everybody -
This week we had another cool lesson with Fausto. We went with another Spanish speaking member who just returned from her mission in Chile. We taught Faith thru Alma 32. We recently found an old missionary guide book in spanish so in preparation for the lesson we pulled a few phrases to memorize to help the lesson go more smoothly. It went very well. I have never felt my Spanish vocabulary brought to remembrance with such ease. It certainly wasn't perfect and I must have soon esta bien 3 dozen times, ha.
 
We taught Wayne midway through the week as well. We introduced the Word of Wisdom and he was on board, but recognized the long road ahead. He had had some issues with partaking of the sacrament the last few weeks and wanted to know how he could feel worthy. He explained some of the things he had to do as an officer in Vietnam. We testified of the healing power of the atonement. He felt the Spirit and felt at peace that baptism would wash away his sins.
 
As for the new training program - We had a meeting with President Pitt where he introduced the new worldwide program. It is something the church has been working on for a long time to have a universal set training schedule. It includes us having a personal DVD player and a few videos to watch every morning. Our studies are extended to 3 hours daily. It is pretty intense, but already has revealed many ways we can improve. As a result of this program I will be staying with Elder Havertz for another transfer, which I am excited about. This area has many promising faces!

 On Sunday we had Scott and Robin at church. It was fast and testimony meeting, so kind of a gamble, but it went well. Scott used to be a preacher and is real evangelical so he would repeat Amen throughout each testimony. I really love his enthusiasm and love of the Savior. We had another lesson with him yesterday, where we talked about church with them. It was kind of different for them, but they are intrigued. We talked more about temple work and showed them "Why Mormons build temples" on mormon.org. He expressed how beautiful the work for the dead was. He brought out the concern we had been searching for. He has a problem with organized religion, because he wants everyone to be focusing on Christ, not just relying on the structure of church. It was a valid point. It was a good reminder for me of why we have the Book of Mormon, Bible or even church. It is strengthen our faith in Christ so we can continually repent and follow the commandments he has given us. I love those insights.
 
I am grateful for this gospel. I thankful for my Savior and I feel so blessed to be right here, right now!
 
Love yall
Elder Dumke
 

Six Month Mark

Hey Hey Hey,

Another great week in Roanoke Virginia. I cannot believe I have already been out 6 months. The time has seriously flown by as I reflect on past companions, investigators and areas. I cannot imagine my life without these two years dedicated to the Lord, and this past week has helped me realize that.

On Thursday we had an appointment cancel on us so we went to follow up with someone we had given a Book of Mormon to. She let us right in and enlightened us on her background. She was Irish, Jewish, Cherokee and a Catholic. She had begun reading the Book of Mormon and was fascinated by its history, as she should be, they are her ancestors... basically. We explained that the story begins with a Jewish family in Jerusalem, who then travelled to the Americas and whose descendants are a portion of the Native American population. She was intrigued and exicted. Pretty cool side note.

My personal motto for my mission here has been, "Plant seeds, but hit the garden hard!" A few days ago we were able to see the often unseen good. We were tracting a holler neighborhood last saturday and weren't having very good success finding anyone home. As we approached one particular house we saw a man look at us and then go in and come back out before we arrived. He had a long pony tail and large can of beer in hand. We talked for maybe 5 minutes about his dogs, bikes, health etc. before bringing up we were missionaries. He was friendly enough, but told us he wasn't too interested in hearing what we had to say. We left feeling a little disapointed, thinking he seemed so open and friendly what was the hold up? As we made our way back down the country road he came out chasing us and yelling for us to stop. His run must have been painful, with him going in for hip surgery just a few days later. He came to us and said,
"I want yall to know, that your work is not in vain. I woke up this morning having just the "worst" day. Then I saw yall comin and I was ready to let you have it. I poked in and told my wife to hand me a beer cuz I was going to tear these boys up. Then you came and I felt somethin. I want you to know that I felt it, I really did."

And then he headed back on his way. We stood there in awe, amazed at the experience. I am grateful God let me see an early stage of the harvest.

Yesterday we had Wayne at church again. It was great! He was excited to be there and he told us that in 2 weeks he is bring two of his friends to church that he has been talking to about us. Right before the Service started he leaned over to me and said, "I forgot to bring my baptismal clothes. Can I get baptized later this week instead." Ha I don't know why he thought he needed to be baptized that day, but we let him know we will work towards a day where he can make that step. We still have to work out a few things with him is all. I am really excited about it.

We were also able to make contact with Phyllis this week. She fell of the radar and had been avoiding us for a bit. Turns out she got overloaded with Anti material. We are trying to visit her again, she no doubt has felt the Spirit testify.

And finally, this morning instead of playing the usual basketball with the other missionaries, we went on a hike. It was supposedly the 2nd highest waterfall in Virginia, but I don't what they call a waterfall out here, because it was just a spring dripping down the side of a mountain. So that part was a huge dissapointment, but the rest of hike wandered through Bottom Creek Gorge, which was somewhat of neighborhood in the mountains set up by Civil War Deserters. There were lots of old homes and cemeteries throughout. Such rich history.

Well I love ya and things are going well. I will be with my greenie for another transfer because the church is implementing a new training program. And President wants us to be the guinea pigs with it. I will find out more about it later this week. Thanks for the Love. 6/24!

Much Love,
Elder Dumke

Another Great Week in Back Creek

7/25/11

These past 7 days have been phenomenal. We visited 3 part member families and all of them displayed interest in baptism. We are really excited about it all. One of the coolest things happened on Monday night though. Remember when I talked about Clara and Fausto last week and how they were excited? Well last Monday we visited them again. It was like deja vu when our member began speaking in Spanish. I was able to pick out a few a words, but mostly I could just feel the Spirit. As Clara spoke we prayed that she was saying positive things. As Danny translated for us, the Spirit set in. She explained that she had prayed just a few days earlier for something or someone to help strengthen her belief in Christ and then we showed up! She said although she enjoyed her church she knew there was more out there, something specific to her. Danny explained that God teaches us to crawl, then walk then run. As she recently developed her faith in Christ it is preparatory to her receiving the Restored Gospel. She agreed and was really excited, as was her Dad. They are excellent people.

We tracted into two Baptist ministers this week, both were intrigued by the Priesthood and one prayed with us. And not praying spitefully either, with the typical "help these young boys find the truth." It was about coming together as believers in Christ. It was a very positive experience. Wednesday was supposed to be District Meeting, but instead we helped someone paint their house. Two days earlier Mitch sent me an email:

"I recall getting frustrated sometimes with the elders in my district because they weren’t being fully obedient or as hard as I thought they could, truth is, you also need to work hard at being a leader and not just a missionary. How? Take ‘em to lunch. Serve should to shoulder. I recall grabbing my truck on afternoon and putting the whole district in it, grabbing member’s rakes and raking random people's lawn and singing them a hymn after. Create memories where the spirit was present. Sorry for the sermon, I feel I Was almost inspired to write that."

It wasn't more than a few hours later that the Zone leaders called me to ask if we were still having district meeting; the choice was clear, service is what we needed. We painted for a few hours instead of district meeting and made a huge difference in someone’s life. They are now meeting with the missionaries in that area. Mitch always tryin to steal my thunder, by receiving inspiration for my mission! Thanks buddy.

Thursday was a really powerful evening. As we went to meet with Crawford (set to get baptized August 25th) we saw that all his belongings were packed away and stored in his front room. He wasn't going to be able to pay his rent. We had planned from the get go to teach tithing, but began to shy away as to even think of him giving more money when he doesn't have any. Then the thought hit me. This is the lesson he needs more than anything. President McBride was with us and he shared his experience with paying tithing as a young, poor medical student. He paid when he had nothing, but because of his faith he was provided for. He was offered to be the caretaker of the property and live with the number 2 at General Motors in Detroit and didn't pay a cent of rent during medical school.

Sorry for all the stories but this week was sweet! Saturday we met with a fella up in a holler. He really wants to turn his life around and be baptized. He is one of the most caring people I have met and would do anything for anyone. He was hit by a drunk driver a few years back and hit his face against the dash. He lost all his teeth, and has a plate in his forehead and nose. I love the guy and I love the hills. One of favorite lines of my mission came from him;
As he explained his Chevrolet Truck, "I got the Lord in my heart and the Lord in my Engine."

Sunday during our first sacrament meeting I got a call from Wayne Hewitt. He had cancelled the last 3 appointments on us and I was shocked to see him calling. I stepped out to listen to his voicemail. His wife had been in a car accident and was fine, but as a result felt he should come to church. He said, "I got my shirt and tie on and I am coming to church". He came for the first time and loved it! After the service he called me and told me that he had a profound spiritual experience and shared it with his wife. They both are excited to come back.

I wasn't planning on writing very much this week, but I guess I couldn't stop. I pray that you can draw strength from the things that I shared and we can all recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives.

Love yall,
Elder Dumke

Serving with Purpose

This isn't my horse,
but it's mighty fine!

7/18/11

This past 7 days has been quite the rodeo. I forgot to mention that we are no longer on bikes they gave us our horses back. All 170 of them, in the form of a Chevy Malibu. I have never been so grateful for good ol glorious Chevrolet.

This week began with an awesome lesson with Claire and Fausto the family from Mexico. One of my favorite Members Danny Farerra came out with us and taught the entire lesson in Espanola. I was able to pick up a lot of it and tell where he was, but we participated very little. Only when he asked us to bear our testimonies of the Book of Mormon did we even speak. Quite the role reversal. The Spirit was super strong despite the language barrier.

We had our interviews with the President this week as well. In our brief time together he said he met my greenie in the MTC. He said he had prayed for the mission as a whole, but for him especially to have a "patient companion." He said his prayer was answered. I was humbled to be told I was an answer to such an outstanding man's prayer. Strangely enough patience is the virtue I am working on the hardest, because I feel I am seriously lacking it. In the words of Dad, "It is hard to develop patience when you have such an urgency for the work." I have thought about that dozens of times this past transfer and I am far from where I would like to be in actually claiming it as an attribute.

On Wednesday night we had a follow up appointment fall through. We went to contact an inactive member instead. When we pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, we helped a few people move a truckload of bedroom furniture up 3 flights of stairs. We put aside our original purpose and just helped. After assisting we explained we were missionaries sharing a brief message about Jesus Christ. We adjusted the first lesson to fit their time frame. It was incredible finding out that both of them have many Mormon friends and they are very interested in visiting the church.

Friday we dedicated our morning to service. We got out of our usual proselyting attire and helped a family with their yard and an investigator with her garage. They both were sincerely grateful for our help. We also visited a few widows and elderly couples. We chatted for a little while as usual, but this week I brought my piano book with me. After a little while of talking I asked if I could play a few hymns, as that most have an old piano to play on. Some of them aren't able to come to church and haven't heard the hymns played in years. It was amazing to invite the Spirit through Music.

My comp and I are working hard to work things out ;). I love y’all so much and hope things are going well on the home front.

Much Love,
Elder Dumke