Week 100!

The extension has begun!

My final transfer call of the mission came yesterday.  It came from the new AP who just so happens to be my mission child Elder Chidester ahaha.  That was pretty weird getting a call from him.  He actually called me on Friday right after he had gotten the call from president, "Elder Sackley, I'm AP. President told me not to tell anyone but i wanted you to know first!" He's a goofball and I'm glad he will be the one to drop me off at the airport.

So my last transfer call i will fight out my days in Trinité with Elder Crapo and Elder Osorio will be joining us! I'm really pumped. He's a really good elder. He came out last September and works hard.  He may be the closest thing i have had to a foreign comp. He was born in the US but lived only three years total there. I think he has lived in Columbia, Belgium and India so I'm counting him as my foreign comp.  

This week was really really good!  We have been doing big district activites where we go into one area and go finding with all the missionaries for a couple hours.  So this last week it was Trinités turn so we fasted and prayed last week about where we wanted to go, than Friday we fasted again with all the missionaries and the family Lagrand that we might find the elect.  

Mallory talked to me about making this week's focus "The one," so the prayer in my heart was that with all the missionaries we could find "the one(s)" the Lord had prepared.  Frere Lagrand, his daughter, Sr Marcelin, and Sr Delise all came out with us with two other companionships.  We were really grateful. Frere Lagrand was sick but he was determined to work hard with us and refused to stay home.  We got a lot of names and people to see but one companionship fell upon a miracle.

They contacted a house and a lady came out. They started a conversation and told her they were sharing "The Book of Mormon" with everyone in the neighborhood.  She yelped and said she had just received this book from her son who is a Mormon and lives in France and that her other son took it because he wanted to read it and how she was really anxious to get it back and boom elders appear with another for her.  She was estatic and we're going to see her this week!  

I also have decided I'm only going to wear one white shirt for the rest of my mission. It's going to be called "the extension shirt." Hurrah!

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

4th of July!

Elder Sharp on the grill!

Week 99

Bonjour

Happy Independance Day!  We bought a grill and are going to start grilling later today and singing the national anthem at the top of our lungs so America will be celebrated on Martinique as well. Unfortunately no fire works though.  Lets see what is there to tell about the week...

We had 18 again yesterday in Trintié retying the record for most people at church.  Its been a knuckle grinding experience just trying to push the group up the hill but there are some really inspired great members here that are doing a good job.  

I restarted the BOM again with the question "how do i increase my priesthood power" stemming off of President Nelson's general conference talk.  It's hard to describe the why for this subject but i felt very impressed to do so.  Most stories i have for this week aren't really fit for an email or a blog letter, but i thought a lot about what i saw 3 years ago at a Camp Helaman.

It was the parable of the Twinkie, watching as a leader asked each boy if he wanted a Twinkie and after each reply whether yes or no, made a boy on the stage before us do 10 push ups so we could have the Twinkie we did or didn't want.  Watching as this boy crumbled and shook underneath the pushups taught me a lesson that i have never forgotten.  The gift of the atonement is given to all of us.  And the better part of us push it aside.  May we not only accept this gift, but help our friends, family and neighbor do the same.

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

Painting service project

The exotic wildlife of Martinique

This is how you know the Martiniquas are prideful. They are claiming they are now the king of the burger, not America.

Beausejour Trintié ayooo!

Week 98

Bonjour

This week was interesting. 

On Friday i went over to a less actives house named Ricardo.  He actually has been pretty active since i got to Trinité but to be counted as a reactivation he has to have an interview with the branch president.  And since branch president is in FDF it's been hard.  Ricardo drags his feet when we have FDF church but this week he told me he wanted me to come over, cut his hair, and shave his face so he would be ready to go to FDF this weekend for church.  

I don't have much experience with cutting hair and no experience cutting black guy hair so it was interesting.  He's not too picky so he didn't are too much and i didn't do too bad of a job.  Shaving someone else's face though is quite the challenge.  It's actually really weird because i even put the shaving creme on his face and everything so yeah.  The thing is he shaves but he only gets about 85 percent of the hair off and than he just has patches of hair left and he doesn't care and will just go through out the week with random inch long patches of hair on his face.  So i gave him a clean shave and yesterday he had his interview and is officially "reactive"!

We have been trying to work real close with the Family Lagrand and these past two weeks we have fasted with them.  It's really really empowering having them so on board with us and so excited about missionary work.  So we fasted this last week and when we came over to finish the fast Soeur Lagrand had the spiritual thought.  

There's this classic David A Bednar talk where he lays out how missionary work should be done saying "missionaries are full time teachers, members are full time finders." It's the talk every missionary wishes the members would read and understand.  So low and behold after a hard long fast, not seeing too many fruits from the previous fast and the one we had just finished, Soeur Lagrand pulls out this talk.

She says, "I never understood my role as a member till i read this talk," and than continues by talking all about what they as a family want to start doing.  And i was just estatic.  It has been a long two weeks with lots of prayers and fasting and not too much change.  But to see the whole family start discussing on how they can start being better finders, it was an answer to our fast.  Frere Lagrand even pointed it out that the fast had been answered and how they were excited to start finding more people to bring and invite to church.  It was every missionary's dream and it was our answer to a fast. 

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

Evangelists, Adventist, and Jehovah Witnesses.... but LDS missionaries were welcome!

Lunch at Soeur Eyvas!

Cleaning up Ricardo!

So i caught a Gecco that is always chilling by our apartment... turns out Geckos can bite!

Bellevue baptized! The only time we're allowed on beaches now.

Week 97

Whatsup!

ok the worst news of the week followed by the best

So effective today in the Caribbean area, so not just my mission but all Caribbean missions, beaches have been outlawed.  No more beach p days no more anything on the beach.  When i got news i was like "what the heck!!!! nooooooo" and i was mad for like 5 seconds and than just started laughing at my companion.  "i have had 15 and a half transfers of beaches i can live with a transfer of no beaches but you have over a year of this!"  It was a low blow totally mean and hilarious.  Anyhow. Only way we're allowed to touch the ocean/beach is if were baptizing so will just have to do that instead.

Best news of the week probably since i got to martinique...

President Herrington and Sister Herrington were here with us for P day.  So president was walking with me and told me that he told the branch president and Frere Lagrand (the group leader) to start looking for a bigger building in Trinité!  The building's max capacity is 23 and we're approaching it so it looks like the Trinité group will be around for good!  It was a good feeling and it's motivating to see that the mountain is moving.

Who even needs beaches after news like that?

Elder logan robert sackley 

just some shannigans and elder gardiner

 

castle ruins for p day

Elder Duplessis, my mission grandson was stopping through Martinique before he returned to French Guiana.  He's a good boy.

And the BOOTHS!  I didn't get to say bye to them on Guadeloupe because they were traveling but they came to Martinique yesterday.  I love them a lot. They're mom and dad away from home.

o trinité u so pretty

making bananes pesé with Lamentin's investigator feat Elder Sharp

Week 96

Bonjour

Hmm this week has been a lot better than the past two.  Not because the area has changed a lot, but my perspective has.  I have got two stories.

So we have been trying to be creative in our finding efforts.  So this week we had a whiteboard with "Qui sommes-nous?" written on it just "who are we?" Yeah, we're elders. We're not too creative but the gest was to transition into talking about children of our Heavenly Father or talking about who we are as missionaries just sort of depending on how the reader takes it.  So I'm talking to a guy and than a nice Mercedes rolls up and starts talking to my comp.  

I finished my contact and come up to the door and start talking with the guy as well.  He's got a super nice car, nice clothes on, nice shades, big ol watch and just a nice grin.  He introduces himself as an evangelist pasture and hops out of the car.  

He's from Africa and he starts explaining as disciples of Jesus Christ, how we must preach and no joke just goes off about how we can in a sense "convince" or "sway" people to believe.  He's pulling out all the stops showing us how to use our hands and how we must yell and shout. It was unreal.  It was really more comical until the thought "2 Nephi 28 3-4" came to my head.  It's a verse about preaching or teaching to edify oneself.  I thought I do not want to set off angry pasture right now. I'm not looking to pick a fight.  But the thought wouldn't leave.  So I opened up and start reading and bore testimony that the only thing that matters is the Holy Ghost and no amount of yelling or hand gestures can bring its presence.  

He paused for a second and agreed, backed off a bit and agreed to let us come on his television preaching program.  We're still undecided about that though ahaha.  

Second part is I was reading in Alma 38:3-5.  It's Alma talking to Shiblon explaining how proud of him he is for being diligent and faithful even when things were hard.  And I thought about that a lot this week.  There have been parts of my mission where I knew Heavenly Father was proud of me for a baptism, a lesson etc.  But this scripture shows how proud a father is of a son for remaining faithful when things weren't going well.  

And I guess thats a bit of my motivation. Things haven't been easy at all lately.  I have been really stressed and just having a hard time in general. Maybe the hardest time of my mission. But I know that if I remain diligent, if I remain faithful that that will be something far more precious for my Father in Heaven, something He will be really proud of. 

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

voici Elder Crapo

Give it here Malfoy or I'll knock you off your broom!

beach volleyball this morning for p day

the martinique boys climbing on the slavery statues

Week 95

June 6, 016

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!

I was pretty sad when i got wind that ALI died.  So i have been quoting him all week.  It doesn't translate as well in french and no one understands the reference.  It's more for me i guess.

So i didn't write a blog last week but i have a new comp!  His name is Elder Crapo from Utah.  So officially there are 3 elders in all of french side who have never had a tahitain companion.  I'm the only one over my year mark and it being my last full transfer i think i will go undefeated against the tahitians.  Still not certain if i'm happy or sad. Anyhow, my new comp has been out about 10 months.

So a couple of weeks ago i quoted a DC scripture and than Dad gave me the challenge to memorize DC 121: 33-46. I have it down in english now and i'm going to memorize it in french too. 

Things have been really hard lately.  To be honest, it's been a real challenge.  The group is doing good but just missionary work in general has been tough trying to find effective things to do.  We're getting creative though or at least somewhat using our brains right now.  We set up a table on the board walk with a BOM and some pamphlets on it.  Than a white board behind and we kept changing what it said like "what makes you happy?" etc.  It was good fun but we didn't see fruits from it in the moment.  A couple days later, during some contacts people said "oh yeah i saw you on the board walk the other day" bof (whatever) will see if it goes anywhere.

So what i'm saying is send me some good creative proselyting ideas. 

i'm desperate

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

finally got a pic of Darius' baptism!