Satu lagi pemindahan di SINGAPURA, SINGA KOTA🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬
I will be with Elder Marshall. Who has literally done his ENTIRE MISSION of 12 transfers being around Ibans and in East Malaysia out in the sticks. He's Zone Leader 2 and I'm of course your trusty, noble, very passionate, fiery, Book of Mormon lovin' JC (junior companion) who's literally been babysat with leadership his entire mission🤺 just kidding.
Elder Marshall is a serious quiet guy. I am, too, except when I'm finding and then it's time to be as open as possible. He's from Boise. Back-to-back comps not from Utah, I love it. So clutch. They loveee sending non-Utahns to Newton Ward. It makes complete sense.
P-night: very chill. Went to Napier and we got to see the US Embassy. Not allowed to take pictures but man seeing the US flag was something different. Haven't seen it in 9 and a half months. So awesome. MERICA🦅 Shoutout Columbus. so cool. Anyways. We did finding in Botanic gardens as well. Absolutely no one was there and so we did more contacting on our phone and responding but yeah still solid. Set up a lot of member visits for this week for Elder Huntley to say goodbye to people.
Tuesday: exchanges with Elder Wright
Still started off slow. Elder Wright lost his phone the previous day, so we went to Kallang to go look for it. Couldn't find it. Obviously with DCM + transfer calls AND a mission-wide devotional, the day is shorter than other days of work. Did an hour of finding in Queenstown. A little bit in Chao Chu Kang. Had Chick fil a for district lunch and Wingstop for dinner. Very light day. Obviously gave all I could during finding. I'm not gonna lie. I was speaking Malay to an Indonesian woman during finding and I had to actually like speak Malay and think of what I was saying. So tragic💔 by the time I'm done here in Singapore my Malay is going to be TRASH. Gotta keep it good for when I'm training an Elder this fall in Sarawak. Anyways. I strained the right side of my neck as well, so I wasn't going too fast that night. Didn't teach any lessons. Went all the way back to Newton and called it a day.
Wednesday: woke up and it felt like my neck was about to fall off. Man, I don't know what I did to my neck, definitely just strained a muscle in it. Man, I'm getting old. Just kidding. Anyways, Wednesday was great. We had a member meal at night. The Pngs. If you've read my email, you'll recognize that last name. That's because their son is the one and only Elder Png that I served with in JOHOR BAHRU🇲🇾💎 anyways yeah the last couple days before the transfer ends is always so light. A relaxed transition period before Elder Marshall comes in. We did some finding in City Hall though for an hour. Called a friend and taught him. Called our recent convert. Ate with the Pngs and it was super weird and awesome to be in another Elder's house on the mission. To be around Elder Png's parents and stuff. His parents are awesome though. Great food. Great time. Went home and called it a night.
Thursday: started off the day going to Bras Basah and ate real Mexican food with a member, Trent. He flies for Singapore Airlines. Absolute Stud. Got this crazy good quesadilla. We're eating good, we're gonna be alright, don't even worry y'all. Of course, did the weekly planning. Thank you, Randall, for the support, my guy, because man I needed it. Elder Huntley was literally like, "Elder, this is all you. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, you're taking over the area. Lock in." All that good stuff. He just ended up texting his new stewardship in Kuala Lumpur🇲🇾 and so I had to kinda do it all myself which is fine not mad at it. I got it done. Going into this next transfer with not a whole ton of progressing people. No people on date for baptism. Elder Huntley and I did a ton of great work. So this next transfer just have to keep the fire burning and finding and building up the area. Moving up the escalator as missionaries would say, if you will. Anyways. Studies and then off to another member meal. We did absolutely zero finding on Thursday. Not one person was stopped and asked if they wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ. All good.
Friday: Friday was travel day and so Elder Huntley and I went to Changi, and we dropped him off with a recent convert who wanted to get breakfast with him before he flew to KL, and then I went with Elder Jenkins the whole day because I needed a companion. We got Chick fil a for lunch and then went to Lavender and did Lavender to Stadium River Walk. The first half was not promising at all. No people. But we got to Stadium and some hyrock event relay thing was going on. Sooooo many people. Found there for 2 and a half hours. Was good. Went to Changi again to pick up Elder Marshall. We got him and just went back to Newton. Was on the MRT for pretty much half the day. So much contacting and messaging. Lil bit of a different day, but we got it done.
Saturday: first full day with Elder Marshall and I have to say this is the hardest working missionary I've ever been around. He actually does not say a word to me. He has yet to ask me where I'm from, what I did before the mission, nothing about my family. I don't think he will end up asking. He's just super super quiet. But he works super super hard, so we'll be alright. Complete opposite sense of humor as me as well but it's all good. He wants to baptize for the right reason. We did 5½ hours of finding on Saturday. 2½ in Bishana and 3 straight in City Hall. I texted him this was going to be a find and grind transfer, and I got what I asked for. It was a pretty boring day throughout. Elder Huntley and I would use to joke around and have fun and keep it light even throughout finding, but man Elder Marshall actually will not look at me. Kinda tough. Still love finding though, luckily. Still great sharing Books of Mormon with people and helping them come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. Still super fulfilling.
Sunday: was super pumped for Sunday though. Got to watch both Saturday rebroadcasted sessions at the church. Man, when "The Morning Breaks" started playing, I actually almost ran full speed through the nearest wall. Oh my. Conference was so awesome. Loved the messages and the focus on ministering and serving. Unfortunately, will still miss all of Sunday but it's all good. At least I didn't have to wait a whole week this time. Did a lot of finding, of course, and Elder Marshall being ever stoic and ignoring me as I try to offer my help and knowledge got frustrating. He seriously does have righteous desires and a good heart. He keeps telling me he's a control freak and so finally he was like okay, when we're not doing exchanges, you can choose where we go. There are some other things he does like having full on 5-minute conversations with Muslim people, but one thing he told me was you just have to smile and make people feel loved. So interesting to see other ways missionaries work. We are definitely opposite on a lot of things. That's why we're companions😂 I told him I can stop being so prideful and not think my way is the best. Back-to-back comps who are helping me learn humility and stripping my pride in two different ways. One was funnier and louder and joked with me but was pretty prideful and one never says a word and never jokes with me nor looks at me, but it allows me more time to focus on others and not force my ideals onto him.
The miracle of a mission.
Even when I'm in Singapore, Newton, an amazing super nice area. The Lord will never allow me to be or stay comfortable. I get placed with one of, if not the hardest working, most diligent missionary in the whole mission who doesn't seem too keen on having the most "fun," we'll be alright though.
The Lord will always push us to become better. This mission is the best. So much practice every day and opportunities to become who God wants me to be. I should be getting two transfers with Elder Marshall as well, so I'm interested to see how our relationship will be by the end. I also have to give him way more grace. He has spent his whole mission in east Malaysia. Of course, Elder Marshall was saying that for the last 18 months of his mission he would just walk into people's houses and then just teach them. So, it's the 3rd mission and the work is different, just wish he would let me show him the ropes. That's how Elder Huntley was on me. Pretty hard but he did it because he wanted me to be a better missionary. Anyways he's gotta learn and it's completely different it's going to take time. I'm not worried about it.
Love y'all. Hope everything is going well as always and you enjoyed Sunday general conference.
Love y'all, have a great week🙏🏻
-Elder Barlow🇸🇬
No comments:
Post a Comment