week 23

Helllllo

Maybe I should start doing something witty in French or start with a phrase.  I'll work on it.  Wow this week was a party.  I mean it's always a party in French Guiana but it was really just a big long party all week.

Lundi, (Monday), we had the missionary celebration and we made deserts and a Christmas dinner.  And than watched the movie Frozen because lots of missionaries have not seen it yet.  Needless to say they loved it and the songs have been stuck in everyone's heads.  

Mardi (Tuesday) was a regular day at work and in the evening the branch president's wife had a birthday party so we went to their house and had cake and ice cream!

Mecredi (Wednesday) was Christmas Eve and we went and taught some lessons earlier in the day and than went to a Christmas party in the sister's area.  After that, we had a HUGE French Christmas feast at a family in our branch's house.  One of the foods we ate was blood sausage, which was...interesting.  You just suck the guts out of it like an otter pop.  Sounds nasty but it was not too bad. Then all the missionaries slept over at the zone leader's apartment.

Christmas we woke up with probably more excitement then most kids do because believe it or not santa found us in French Guiana! We unwrapped presents and then visited some new converts.  We went to the Branch President's house for food and skyping home.  Skyping home was to this day, still the weirdest experience of my mission.  I love you guys lots but man it was weird!  Then Elder Smith and I went around our area singing songs and visting less actvies and recent converts. Afterwards, we followed up by another member party at night.  

Something that I have really noticed about Christmas is the increase of love that you see around you.  We always highlight that Christ's birth is smothered by presents and Santa.  Instead we can focus on the increase in love that you can feel.  It is true that it is easy to forgot the true meaning.  But we can all feel the increase of love and that comes directly from our Savior.  In the "He is the Gift" video it says He is the Christ... He is Christmas.  

We now have a whole year until Christmas but the increase of love the spirit is there for us all year.  I love that.  Never stop searching for where Jesus is because he is everywhere you just have to look.

I won't be back on emailing until Wednesday next week.  This weekend were traveling to Suriname for zone conference!

Love you lots and Happy New Year,

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

nom nom nom elder smith is a master chef

Merry Christmas West Indian style

The Family Dabreu with all the naked children

Me and my favorite guy Lois Fabio... No one really knows where he came from he doesnt speak any french so i free style spanish with him.  Hes the biggest goofball probably top 3 favorite people i have met

christmas eve table at the family litampha

just in the christmas spirit!

blood sausage not half bad you squeeze it out of the skin

Me and my guy elder Maux 

nom nom nom

Drinks all around!

Christmas for the missionaries! 

week 22

Joyeux noel!

I have started to realize I write these blog letters with all these thoughts in my head thinking I am going to throw together a master piece.  What comes out is just a vomit of words so I am going to try to do better.

This week was great! We had some of the best missionary work ever in Cayenne this week and it was amazing.  The ward christmas party was last friday and it was for sure a party.  The missionaries did a skit and it was the classic head through the curtain with the other persons arms through the curtain just harrassing the person's face.  First round was make a sandwhich and eat it as fast as you can. It was a race between the missionaries.  Unfortunately, I drew the unlucky card between me and Elder Smith.  Problem is he quickly made the sandwhich squished it into a ball and shoved it all into my mouth.  Agh it was awful, but a good laugh.

We sang songs in French and the missionaries sang some English songs too which the branch really liked.  Then Pere noel came which (as you can see from the picture below) was just a priest with a shaving cream beard. It was a really fun night i dont think i have laughed or sang so loud in my whole life.

With the spirit of the christmas season, we have a time to reflect on past years; Past gifts we have recieved, or things we have done.  In honor of that I am going to list off 5 gifts that I have recieved over the years (not necessarily christmas gifts) that have stuck with me forever.  

Garrett-  Life sucked in a house full of 2 older sisters always shoving me into dresses and making me play with dolls.  I know you can't remember the day but i still do where you first came home and i took you and put you in my bed with me for our first sleepover.  Ever since than you have been a great brother and gift.

Mallory- It is not every day that you have to leave on a mission.  Sitting down in a classroom with other people speaking French and having no idea how you can do this is rough.  Opening your scriptures and finding pictures with notes from your older sister does make it possible.  Thank you for that.

Madison- Though 17 years old I had still not quite found my standing with the church or the Book of Mormon.  seeing one of your idols go on a mission and leave you with the challenge to read the Book of Mormon before you return fixed that for me.  I cant thank you enough for that.

Mom- i dont know if you remember this but I do. You were talking to me about Joesph Smith and that was his calling to restore the church. We talked about how God gives us talents or a calling in this life. I remember sitting there thinking and than asking you what did he give me?  From that day forward you have helped me find what God gave me. And i thank you for that.

Pops-  Last Christmas Madison and I talked for a while about you and then Christmas morning when you read us your list my whole prespective and world sortve flipped.  Everyday of my life you were giving so much and i never could see that.  You have always been a great example to me and im sorry for not always seeing that.

I wish you all a merry christmas and a Joyeux Noel,

Elder Sackley

Pere Noel or just a priest with shaving cream on his face preparing for a boxing match you be the judge

Joyeux Noel!

Morning P day studies at the beach

week 21

Wow this week was nuts!

District conference is over skype here because the district consist of Guyana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and St Martin.  Saturday night was a fireside and the mission president, President Mehr was speaking at it.  He stands up, looks at the web cam and says Guyana you have a right to know the mission is splitting.  The West Indies mission will no longer exist in July of 2015.  There will now be the Trinidad port of Spain mission which is Trinidad and Tobago, English Guyana, and Suriname.  Then the Barbados mission which is all the islands already in the mission and French Guiana.  The change really has no effect on me since all the French side stays together but none the less...  The West Indies mission call is now going extinct!

Now a horror story for your week: 

Right now is the rainy season here in Guyana.  Friday it was dumping rain like I have never seen before and without any sign of stopping.  Even with all the rain, we threw on our big jackets and headed out the door.  During a lesson that day, I noticed all these bugs flying around.  I thought it was just our investigators house. But when we left the real horror was revealed...  When it rains for a long period of time it causes the termites here to evolve. I am not sure of the science behind it, but the locals explain the horror that way. The termites grow wings.  And take flight.  No exaggeration MILLIONS.  So as I was looking into the sky, it literally looked like it was snowing flies... It was awful.  I rode my bike with my mouth shut and head down.  If i looked up i would get a face full of bugs.  So yes, the apocalypse is coming because the bugs rule the sky.  And than just as quickly as they appeared they all die.  Weirdest thing I have ever seen.

A spiritual moment: 

A little over a month ago i started reading Jesus the Christ.  If you have not read this book I would reccomend it to anyone...LDS or not LDS because it is amazing. The more and more I have learned about the Savior's life the more and more I realize I have no understanding at all about Him.  

The Christmas devotional given last Sunday was also very good. I loved D. Todd Christophersons talk on how Jesus Christ gave up his Godship to be born into the most humble of circumstances, and then to be spat upon and beaten and ultimately killed by the people He came to save.  Something I never understood was that being born of an earthly mother (or a mortal mother) He was subject to all earthly pain.  His Heavenly Father kept him immortal, yet he chose to give it up to feel what we feel and more. His body physcially endured a 40 day fast - the only thing that kept him alive was the fact he was a God.  When he took on the pain and afflictions of the world and he physically endured all of that. The only reason He survived was because of his being the Son of God.  It was not until he laid down his own life that he was able to be killed.  I dont think I will ever be able to comprehend the type of love the Savior has for us.  I don't think I will ever understand the depths of the sacrifice he made for us either, but I can try and begin by expressing my thanks.  What a wonderful time of the year this is - I love it! Please remember what the first gift was and do all you can to share, use, and be thankful for it.

Even though Christmas is around the corner i have a sunburn...

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

my new friend

its monsoon season in cayenne good thing i get to rock this bad boy

mmmmmmmmm

happy birthday to my favorite Estfhany (Her name is the French version of Stephanie!) 

Happy happy birthday

District Conference Via Skype

take a nice zoom in and you will see the metropolitan man in his natural habitat.  A speedo

week 20

aloo,

Everyone keeps emailing me asking what it feels like to be celebrating December and Christmas down here in the islands.  I tell you what: its blazing hot and the only thing that reminds me it is December is the occassional christmas lights on someone's house.  But really though.  It has started to rain a lot more because the rain season is beginning but the rain does not quench the heat one bit.  It feels very bizarre it's already Christmas time, as all I am feeling is endless summer. This whole paragraph sounds like I am complaining but I rather enjoy the sun.  

With this time of the year the first presidency sent out a new video called "He is the gift". They asked us to share it with family and friends, so I am doing so with all of you: 

http://www.mormon.org/christmas?cid=HPFR112814529

I have been thinking about this video a lot.  He is the gift.  This time of the year is crazy  and it can feel as if everything is centered around gifts.  The whole purpose behind this season however, is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  But yes, like many of can attest to it can sometimes be swallowed up in the rush and excitment of the newest phone or xbox.  But have any of us really stopped and thought what Christ would want for Christmas?  I dont think He would care for the iphone 6 or a new pair of skiis.  I think the best thing we can give Jesus is using the gift He gave us.  The Atonement not only gives us the ability to be forgiven but to be perfected.

Now I am not going to tell you what that should mean to you but what it means to me. Missionaries are not perfect people -we make mistakes and we have flaws. So I have decided this christmas I am going to give away my negativity.  Life is tough but its supposed to be.  We came here for the tough times! So why should I be negative when they come? I will start to appreciate the tough times and embrace them with positivity. We were given this life as a gift and I am going to treat it like one starting now. I will be taking every step with gratitude towards my Savior and what He did for me.  

The other gift I want to give Him is sharing the gift he gave to me.  As missionaries, we talk with everyone... or at least we try too.  We share the gift as much as we can.  But one of my biggest regrets was not doing that when I was home. Yes, I love these people here but I did not grow up with them and I have not known them for a super long time.  My challenge to you is to share the gift in whatever way you can with those around you. It doesn't have to be something huge or something grand.  But I

know that you will not regret giving someone a gift that will last forever.  

Still way too hot to be december,

Elder Logan Robert Sackley 

Like i said its hard to get member lessons you have to be creative out here

This is Mike Mastey he was baptized in the spring.  He is now a ward missionary and works with us all the time.  He also speaks fluent portugese french spanish and english.  Mike you da mvp

week 19

December?

What a joke! I have a nice fresh sun burn that disagrees with that. I'm starting to see that it doesn't make a difference what time of the year it is, its just going to be hot here.  Last Saturday was transfer calls: the verdict is.... The dream team will be staying together for another transfer in Cayenne! Pretty sweet because I really like it here and I like Elder Smith a lot.  

Today marks the end of my "trainee" title.  These two transfers really have blown by pretty fast, which is weird... when I look back in time everything just kinda feels like it mixes together, and all my memories swirl into a big blur.  But I for sure have learned a lot. Transfer two (transfers are every 6 weeks) was excellent.  We set a goal beginning of our first transfer together to to baptize three people.  We ended up with zero people in that first transfer, and it was our own fault.  Transfer two was a lot about redemption and making up for where we fell short.  We set the same goal again for three baptisms in the second transfer and worked hard all transfer for it and ended up accomplishing it.

I think thats what I love most about the gospel in general.  It was not given to us by our Heavenly Father so that we can be perfect or to get it right the first time.  We have it to continually strive to be better and when we fall short, we must pick ourselves right back up and try harder and get it the next time.  I always loved the quote "it doesnt matter how many times you fall down, all that matters is how many times you get back up".  We got knocked down a bunch this transfer but we kept getting back up and moving forward, putting our trust in the Lord. 

I am very excited for a third transfer in Cayenne. I know it will be tough and I am sure we will get knocked down a lot but I can't wait to get back up and keep moving forward.

love,

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

Bannanes pese for the thanksgiving night fiest

we made an apple pie on thanksgiving!!

me and the man the myth the legend: Frere Bady. Frere Bady he is always sick or tired or both.  The most clothes he wears outside of church is a towel or a sheet.

Elder Lever is leaving for Guadelope. I love this guy and hope i can serve with him again