Hello, everyone!
Another amazing week here in East Malaysia‼️🇲🇾 transfer week so a lot happened. I'll break it down.
Monday- had two lessons that night and that was fun, taught about tithing and roh kudus (Holy Ghost).
Tuesday- had transfer calls and then did some finding throughout the day and then packed and headed to Bintulu to accompany Elder Overly in Bintulu since my district leader Elder Boseman who finished his mission, was leaving. Sad to say goodbye to him for sure. Bus ride to Bintulu was horrible, crazy bumpy, and we were on a tall bus so it would sway, and me and Elder Randall just did not feel great throughout the ride.
Wednesday- day in Bintulu was solid, taught this one big family about the Book of Mormon and the power the Book of Mormon holds and how it can change our life as we study and read it. Finding was also solid throughout the day as well, i opened and closed most contacts all in Malay which was awesome. Confidence and energy for talking to people has grown so much through my prayers of faith which has been so awesome to see.
Thursday- came back to Miri and got back to work, talked to this Chinese uncle in English who is trying to convert us to Buddhism😂😂 We tried to have just us three talking and teaching about the Book of Mormon, but he just was kinda rambling at us. Unfortunately, his efforts of conversion have failed, I would say😂 Had another lesson that night about tithing as well.
Friday- went to the airport and welcomed in the Tanjung Kidurong Elder and the other Bintulu Elder and then my Senior Companion, Elder Simonsen🙏🏼 My MTC teacher, Brother Jacobs, literally told me in the last week of the MTC that he hoped Elder Simonsen would train me because he trained Elder Simonsen. Such an awesome full circle moment for sure.
Saturday- I'm in a trio and in my last training transfer, so that day we picked up Elder Barker, our new trainee fresh from Provo, and he's an absolute dawg for sure. He's very level-headed and wants to use his Malay at every single opportunity and is always asking me and Elder Simonsen a ton of questions.
Saturday and Sunday - both days we had District Conference here in Miri, so President and Sister Ho flew to Miri as well as the Asia Area Mission President Elder Tai. He was awesome and spoke in this last year's General Conference in April (his talk was right before President Nelson. Got to shake his hand and have a chat with him and he was super super kind, what a guy. It was super nice to meet President and Sister Ho and to listen to them speak in conference.
(Bishop Divine, please read this to the Priest Quorum as my 3-month update)
Spiritual thought: I've been reading a ton of really really good conference talks over this last month and a half in Malaysia, (tomorrow is my 3-month mark as a missionary and today is my exact mark of 45 days in Malaysia.) And one talk that Elder Simonsen gave me to read was by Dallin H. Oaks, his first ever talk as an apostle of the Lord in 1984. It's about why we serve and that there are six reasons why anyone would serve in this church.
1. Earthly reward/worldly honors
2. Only for networking or companionship
3. Fear or punishment
4. Duty or loyalty to family traditions
5. Eternal reward (eternal life, blessings)
6. CHARITY
The first three are not admirable ways of service.
The next two still bring blessings, but there is something better.
I want to reflect on Charity in this email. ("But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." Moroni 7:47)
When I find myself doing everything I do out of fear or for earthly rewards such as recognition/desiring an RM status or just to say, "Oh yeah, I went on a mission," or only wanting to make new connections or networking or I look at it as something I have to do and every single day when I wake up at 6:59 and I feel like I'm clocking in when I put on Jesus Christ name on my chest and over my heart every morning, I never feel the true happiness that I feel when I lose myself in the work and when I don't care about myself for a day and have true, pure charity towards others, it's when I'm flying around on the bike in the rain or absurdly hot weather, sweating through my clothes and when I'm determined to bless others with the messages from the Book of Mormon or the Lord's spirit with others that need it.
"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Matthew 16:25
I love this work so much, its unbelievably hard, it's insanely uncomfortable at some points, it's different, it's luar biasa memang. It stretches me every single second. but a mission would never be worth it if it wasn't any one of those things, and I've learned that as I trust in the Lord, as I don't worry about the things I can't control, as I control my effort and attitude and give all my mind and heart along with might and strength, I'm starting to find my life infinitely more full and rewarding and happy through Jesus Christ. I know this is his work, I'll always say it. It's not mine, it's not yours reading this, not in Laoag, not in Costa Rico, not in Stockholm, not in Florianopolis, Not in Rabinal not in Santo Domingo and not in Mallorca. HE LIVES AND THIS IS HIS WORK. and I'm willing to lose my life for that fact (🚨metaphorically of course🚨)
Love you all.
The Love of God
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