week 27

Halllllo,

This week was an excellent week-we had lots of great missionary work and things are going good in Cayenne.

Carnaval update:

I would like to just say I don't need more sleep on my mission...for the most part i am fine.  But from 10:30pm - 6:30am I am sleeping. That is my time.  Don't take away from my 8 hours of sleep.  So come 6 am Sunday morning I hear coming from outside:  

"SANS FATIGUE SANS FATIGUE"

I tried curling up in a ball to block the noise but even through concrete walls-the music was booming.  We quickly jumped out of bed and ran outside to find that the street was covered with hundreds of people. Carnaval had a dance party all night in town and then they did a march through the city in the morning.  so here comes this huge mob and there's just a huge truck covered with people screaming unintelligible words into mics.  I still don't know the exact reason for carnaval since most people are embarrassed to talk to me about it because they know I am a missionary...So I guess the battle will wage on.

Sunday mornings can be one of the most depressing times on a mission: You work all week to get your investigators to church, as in you leave your apartment early to go search for people and than when you get to their house they are not home or they can't come. It breaks your heart every time. And then it starts all over again the next week. Personally I'm sick of getting my heart broken on Sunday mornings.

So this past Saturday comes around and me and Elder Smith decide we are not going to get beat Sunday and we start a fast.  We fasted all day and saw all our investigators throughout the day, as we taught them we reminded them the importance of Sunday.  Then Sunday morning comes around and we go and find our most progressing investigator... He walks out with a big smile on his face ready to go. (!)

Later he told us his friends came to get him to go work (which he really never gets a lot of and is always looking for) in the morning, but he told them sadly that he couldn't work because he had church to go to. After Sacrament meeting he told me he knew he made the right choice.  

We had more investigators this past Sunday than we have had in weeks and one of the less actives who use to be in the Branch presidency and is an RM came to church.  Later that day he called us and were going to see him again later this week.

Sunday mornings are from now on going to be a happy thing and something to look forward too.  We're going to keep striving to find the extra little push that will make the difference!

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

I found Moses!

Moses lives in Cayenne

Carnaval go home your drunk

im going to whip something like this after the mission... sorry dad

Football team this morning aint got nothing on us

week 26 (6 months)

salut,

Looks like I will be starting my sister mission with my sister.  The first 6 months have flown by and just make me realize how short this time is in the mission. 

A little flash back:

I was sitting in the MTC watching as two missionaries went up to the front of the auditorium to share their conversion stories.  I remember sitting on the edge of my seat listening intently as two missionaries shared their conversition stories.  Both stories stuck in my mind until long after and I remember sitting in my bed that night thinking that nothing would be better than getting to play a part in someone's conversion story.

Last November Smith Carrenan got baptized and it was one of the best days of my life.  Something I never really thought through at the MTC or the day of Smith's baptism was how much joy I would find seeing them progress after baptism.

Something that I have grown to truly love is the testimony of a recent convert.  Often in the church we bear our testimonies making them very extravagant and long but I love the short simple recent-convert testimony. We love to take recent converts to lessons and sometimes right after the opening prayer they will blurt out: Read this book and pray you will know its true!  

(somedays as a missionary you just want to face palm when they say that but I see a lot more genuine love in this short burst of a testimony than I have seen almost anywhere.)

Smith has been working with the missionaries probably 4 times a week since his baptism and I can say seeing his progression after his baptism brings me the same amount of joy as it did watching him get baptized. This last Sunday he was called to be the sunday school instructor for the recent converts and investigators.  Lots of recent converts stay in that class for 5 months after their baptism then go to how to become a teacher class.  But Smith took the fast tract.

Yesterday it was Smith's first day on the job.  I sat in on the class and taught with him. It was an incredible experience because all the same feelings of joy were there. Being able to see Smith go from investigator to simple testimony to working with the missionaries every week to now teaching recent converts and investigators... Makes me really love being a missionary!

Love 

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

So this is a chicken fighting house.  They dont have dog fighting here they have chicken fighting.  Im going to become the michael vick of chicken fighting

just trying to get a coconut

giving a talk at zone conference

week 25

Transfer 4:

And the verdict.... For the first time in the President Mehr era a companionship will stay together for a 4th transfer!  Legendary.  Yes some of you are thinking does that mean elder sackley is being trained 4 transfers? Disregard that thought and go back to the word legendary and keep that one in your head instead. We were both praying that we could stay in Cayenne, but we just never thought that we would stay together.  I was talking to the assistant on the phone and he told me the news, and I just started laughing and asked him to repeat it again.  We're really happy though- we have some unfinished buisness to do and we're going to take this city by storm.

Speaking of that...

Carnvial 2015 is building up here. Yesterday we were teaching a less active and we just started hearing drums...  Loud drums.  I turn to Elder Smith and we started a little silent monologue that only comes from being together for so long, and we ended the lesson and b-lined for the door.  Clowns were flooding the street and the city was lighting up with carnival shenanigans. After seeing all of this, we got on our bikes and did our best Lance Armstrong impersonation out of there. It's going to be a big game of cat and mouse seeing that our area is cayenne where the carnival festivities are for the next few weeks.

On a totally different note, I have been thinking a lot about the year 2015, and I realized that some of the people closest to my heart will leave on missions this year.  This year will also be my black out year of the mission, meaning I do nothing but missionary work.  And honestly I am excited! So here is a little of my advice to departing missionaries: 

Firstly, realize your calling.

People always asked what do you want to be when you grow up?  And I can tell you that my anwser has never changed. I wanted to be Batman (and still do).  No I'm not referencing 7 year old me-this is 18 year old me as a senior in high school. Who wouldn't want to be a superhero?  I have always loved the idea of a higher calling, A sacrifice I make that leads to helping others or in other words, something meaningful.  I think I have found that out here.  And I think that the best advice I can give departing missionaries is realize your calling as a missionary is so much better than any superhero-including batman.  Yes I dare say that.  He can save the city for the day but it will need saving again tomorrow. He can only bring temporal freedom, whereas you as a missionary can save someone for eternity.  You can save the city forever! Give them something incorruptible like the gospel.  A standard or something to chase.

No you will not have things like; Action figures made out of you, T shirts with your name on it, Kids pretending they are you in the street, and you wont have a statue in city hall and Police shouldn't be trying to hunt you down...But your Father in Heaven will be proud of you and the work you are doing.  And that beats anything the fame of a super hero can give.  Remember who you work for, where your calling comes from, and what you bring.  And than do everything you can to be the super hero missionary your Father in Heaven knows you can be and will be.  I'm so excited to hear all your stories! You all are my example, my standard to chase after, and someone I can look up to.  I love you all a lot and can't wait to hear about your adventures!

Wannabe batman,

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

since were going on four transfers its safe to say elder smith and i are dating

I am Batman

hit this son of a gun twice with an electric racket and it still was flying

A wild sloth i tried shaking him out of the tree but that bogger was hanging on for life

don't worry, he's still alive. 

week 24

I would say something in dutch but i learned nothing,

Hello everyone.  I'm just going to throw this out there right at the get go: Thank goodness I do not have to learn Dutch!  Oh boy it was the most bizarre thing I have ever heard.  Okay here are the highlights day by day of the Suriname trip 2015.

Samedi-  We woke up at 6:30 (as usual) and ate some breakfast, then did some last minute packing and the zone leaders picked us up around 7:30.  We drove 3 hours through the jungle until we reached the border at St Laurent.  We got stamped, and drove a little down the road and found a guy to take us across the river. We arrived on the other side, got stamped into Suriname and jumped back in a car for another 3 hours to Parimaribo. We met up with the missionaries there, got some food and than there was a fireside that night.  President Mehr and Sister Mehr, as well as some leaders in Suriname spoke to us.  I had Elder Van Den Herik, an Elder from the netherlands translate it all for me.

Dimanche-  Dutch church is impossible to understand.  I feel like with spanish or french you can at least get a couple words out even if you have never learned them.  But noooo Dutch church was impossible.  I had no translator so i just sat in confusion for a good while.  That night we got to watch Meet the Mormons in english because a good part of the people could understand english.  It was a really good movie except that it just made me trunkie to play football and watching the missionary story didnt do me any favors.  

Lundi-  We got up and headed to the church for zone conference.  President Mehr taught a really cool analogy that I will now share and butcher: A  contractor  was working on a house.  He was trying to finish it as quick as possible so he could get paid.  In doing so he cut some corners.  He used tile that was good but not exactly what the family had asked for.  When he brought the family to do the walk through they noticed the faults.  Feeling bad for what he did he decided he would make it up to them by redoing the tiling the way they asked.  He went back, and re did it and then made improvements to the home.  He was so thankful for a second chance he wanted to do more than was asked.  When he did the second walk through the buyer loved it.  As the contractor walked away the buyer called to him and tossed him the keys. Saying it is yours.  As missionaries its easy to cut corners and want rewards now.  But when we go the extra mile, we find that is where the reward comes.  Because as we work we are building our mansions in heaven. Bottom Line: Dont cut corners on your own mansion!

After Zone conference we went to a roti shop and ate some delicious roti.  Than we went to Chois and spent all the money we had left.  We were like children on christmas we were so excited.

Mardi-  We got up and played sports with the Suriname elders since it was their P day.  French side vs Dutch side 4 v 4 basketball.  When they finally realized we could not be stopped at 6-0 they quit.  The first thing France has won in centuries.  Was that joke too far....?

Then car trip home and boat ride followed by more car trip. (you get the point) 

This saturday is transfer calls! cross your fingers i get to stay in Cayenne!

Love,

Elder Logan Robert Sackley

chariot

the driver wanted no part in my selfie

Suriname Bound

just a typical surniame bus

boat ride

a little bit of dutch for you.  Its a mad mans language

Dutchies and Frenchies

You gotta do what you gotta do

the promise land.  The only place we can find american food.

we made it count

spoils of war

Elder Smith is a great pack mule

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