Jersey City - Week 12

Drewes Christiansen Sumsion Maddox

Familia!

Wow what a week it was for both of us. First off: Woohooo! I am so pumped that Niki got baptized!!! What a special day for her. Looks like the whole crew was there to support her too. Such a blessing. Wow.  (A good friend of Ben's from high school was baptized.)

This week was super nuts here. Just lots of zone leader errands and driving to Morristown and Bayonne and Union City. But we had some fun in the Process:

Had a super good exchange with Elder Maddox this past week. He was serving in an Argentine mission. He left the same day as Connor to Argentina but he doesn't know him. But he had some back problems so he had to go home for a few months and then they sent him here. So he spits some super funny Argentine Spanish and the people here just love it. There aren't too many Argentine's here. It was a fun exchange though. He is such a happy Elder and always positive despite some of the medical challenges he is facing. They might send him home any day for his back problems but he just works like a champ until that day comes whenever it may be. Always happy and always cracking jokes. He got a cortizone shot this last week so I got to head to Morristown with him to the doctors. He is always has such a positive attitude.

Well yesterday Sunday was one of the toughest days of my mission in a while. Things got stressful really fast. I just finished drawing this big thing that said "don't get stressed out" and then at church things got stressful real fast. We are sitting in Gospel Principles and one of our ward members called for us to come out of the class. Her two daughters were supposed to get baptized that day (Turning 8!) but she told us the baptism is off. We found out that there has been some problems in her marriage and ended up that the husband (who was going to baptize the daughters) just left. Oh it was so sad. She was in tears. So the baptism almost canceled. But after about an hour she ran over and asked Elder Drewes to baptize the daughters. So we just through together this baptism ON THE SPOT. Everyone was already sitting and waiting. It was nuts. People were getting frustrated. AHHHH just trying my best people. Tranquilo. Nah turned out good though. We had a fun dinner lesson at a district president's house. So that relieved some stress. Oh it was a crazy day.

So its that time of the mission again: transfers!!!! HA oh snap... Good thing I LOVE changes. Nah this will be a breeze. Elder Drewes has been the best companion to me though. It has been a blessing to be with him. I feel like we are super close friends.It will be sad to see him go. He got released from being a zone leader last night so he is for sure going to a new area. Which means I will be getting a new companion tomorrow. We have  it almost narrowed down to a few people who it may be but then hey the Lord works in mysterious ways and who knows who I will get as my new companion. A majority of the zone is getting switched up. These two Elders, Elder Christensen and Elder Maddox have become two good friends to me and they are getting double out meaning that their area is getting closed and combined with another area (ours). Also two other elders, Elder Welburn and Elder Comish are leaving the zone two. So there is going to be some major changes. It will be excited to see who is coming in. So happy I am staying in JC though. I love this place. Couldn't have asked for a better place to be right now. 

We taught Ju--- again. This time his wife was there!!! Her name is I---. So pumped though. Everytime we go over there there is one more person in the family. Ha they even read the Book of Mormon chapter 1 as a family!!! So cool to see them already progressing. We will be setting a baptismal date for them this week.  

Things are good. A little nervous for the upcoming transfer but nah it will be chill. thanks for all the prayers family. I love you so much!

Elder Sumsion

The JC Boyzzz

sopping wet - rainy days

Waiting for baptism - stressful
Elder Drewes had to go home and get his baptismal clothes.