June 29, 2015

This week is Elder Fowler's last week in the mission.  It feels kind of strange he is going home.  We both came to the mission the same time, but he is going home two weeks before me.  So I am in the mind set that I am going home too, but I'm not... Strange feeling.  But it will be a very busy two weeks, so it'll be okay.  In fact, this next week will be very interesting because...
1)  I have no companion for 2 weeks.  I will be with the Chinese Elders until I go home.  So I am a Chinese Elder now.
2)  We are going to Miri on Saturday and we'll be there until Tuesday. We are having a special district conference where Bintulu and Miri combine to meet Elder Funk and our new mission president, President Simmons.

So yup, President Mains goes home on the 1st of July. New one comes, and then in 2 weeks I leave... But I got to meet President Mains this last Wednesday for interviews.  He just gave some good advise for the future and congratulated me of the good work I've been doing.

This week we just tried to visit everyone before Elder Fowler left.  We're still teaching some of our investigators, while a few of them went back to kampung for a week or so.  We had an incredible attendance for this week, of 73 people at church including 9 from the Chinese group, so 82 is pretty good for us. It's been struggling at about 55 lately.  President Antonius, a former branch president came back with his family.  Been a few weeks since he's been around. 

Just excited to be here for another week.  Other than that, just running to the finish line. That's about it. :) 

Love, 

Elder Vincent

A Week To Begin all Last Weeks...

Well, this week was absolutely crazy. We've had lots of investigator work and it's really hard to keep up with everything, but that's not a bad problem to have. Well, this week will be even crazier. President Mains will be coming for interviews on Wednesday, my companion has gotten permission to go to Miri to see one of his areas on Thursday, (same zone, but different city) and then we should hopefully be having a baptism this Saturday. :)  Then after that, my birthday on the 30th, my companion goes home on the first, and then I'm really not sure what is going on for the last 2 weeks. Maybe I'll spend it by splitting time with the  Chinese Elders to go to my area and their area.

This last Sunday we made brownies for the branch's fathers.  Delicious as always. This week we also found 5 new investigators, 4 from a part member family, and 1 referred from another investigator that we have only taught twice.  S. M. is the best investigator of all time, just saying. :P 

Just a heads up, Elder Funk is going to be coming to Miri on the 5th of July, and so me and all the members from Bintulu get to go to a special district conference for that day.  We will probably head there on AMERRIKUUUH's Independence Day and leave the afternoon of the 5th of July. (which happens to be the day of my baptism 12 years ago)

the District President is hoping that Elder Funk will make Miri/Bintulu a stake.  We have enough members and Miri for sure is strong enough for it, but Bintulu still needs to work some things out before it can even think about getting a stake...

Anyway, have a great week guys, and Happy Father's Day!

Love

Elder Vincent

June 1, 2015 - Final Stand

Transfers are out. I am going to Bintulu Branch 1 for my 6 weeks of my mission. I will be with Elder Fowler, who is also in my group going home in 6 weeks, so... Well it should be a very interesting transfer. I am very excited to go back to Bintulu, but I am so lazy to pack... This being my eleventh area in the mission, averaging about 2 and half months in each area... -.-

Well, I wish I could tell you everything, but I have lots of stuff to do in two days!

Anyway, this is the Gawai Festival week. We had quite a bit of work going on for a few days, and then BAMMMM. Not only was everybody going back to their villages, but my companion was sick from Thursday to now, and he slept through most of Friday and Saturday... He's feeling good, but it's way tough to be in just a 2 elder house and not have anything to do. Honestly, you can only read the scriptures and update the area book and clean the house for so long, and then what else is there to do??

That meant we had about 10 people come to church, 8 of them being missionaries. And then I GOT TO CONDUCT SACRAMENT MEETING!! It doesn't mean much because it was just me and the elders and one other member that didn't go back to his hometown, but oh well. I did it. :D :D :D :D

So...that's about all I have time to say, love you guys see you back in BINTULU!!!

Elder Vincent

May 18, 2015 - Gawai In Malaysia

So.... Interesting Sunday. We missed the sacrament, due to a few strange accidents. I started my day by biking and I looked back to see why everyone was riding their bikes way slow, and in the midst of that I ran my foot into the side walk curb and hurt my foot a bit, not too bad though.  Still can walk. Ripped open my shoe. Then we get to the church, the meeting is about to start when a member asks us to help her with a flat tire to get to church, so we go there. We're only like 5 minutes away, fix the tire within 10 minutes, and then on the way back, a car in front of us runs over the curb really badly, and then 5 seconds later, my companion does the same thing but falls down lightly on the grass... strange 4 events all in the same hour. :P

We get back and I have a talk which went into having a TRUE Testimony.

The reason I talked about that was when a friend of mine from an old area told me about her situation.  She misses church really badly. She needs to get a job to help save up for her mission, but just as Malaysia is not very understanding of Christians, she can't go to church very often, and she started crying and told us how she misses church so badly. This came from a member which was very active when I was there, but still perhaps lacked on her testimony.  Needed friends to bring her, for her to come. Now, to working for her mission but being in an emotional state of being upset for not getting to go to church. Her testimony has grown a lot since I last saw her 11 months ago... That is what brings me true joy.  To see somebody grow from what they were to what they are now.  She does have problems still, and I can't help solve all of them, but just to hear her say that, I know she understands now the importance of the Sabbath. :)

April 27, 2015 - Transferring back to Sibu

Hey guys! this week was first of all transfers. My flight with Elder Yang and Coloma to Sibu was at 7:30pm.  Monday we visited Sister Dorkas' family for the last time and had just a great family home evening, played some games, and had a down to heart conversation together.  It was an expensive taxi ride though because prior to their house we were playing at another escape room, and we got out a bit late, it was like 6 pm when we finished so the sisters and us took a taxi back instead of busing back (which would have taken ages!) and ended up to be 90 ringgit.

Tuesday was our district meeting good byes. Elder Thatcher and Elder Halpin had left to go to Singapore by this time. Elder Hobbs followed us for the day, and we just met a few of our favorite members and those we couldn't meet in time we just called or texted.  I'm going to miss KK so much!

Wednesday was mostly just a bunch of waiting until my flight! I was way nervous about immigration, but by the time I got to the counter, I noticed that their computers were broke and they were just writing everything by hand and so even then they just wrote down my passport number and gave me a normal pass. :D :D :D

Since then Elder Chang and I have been trying to figure out our area together, which is pretty tough because the past elders have not updated the area book for the last 3 months, so any investigators that are "supposedly" on date will have to be taught again, if we can even contact them, since we have no idea where they live or what their phone numbers are.... So we've basically just had a clean start and making the best of it. It's been a long week out in the sun, but we've got a few things going a bit. Should be getting better each week. :)

Love,

Elder Vincent

April 20,2015 - Another Week in the Promised Land

Goooood morning everyone or afternoon or evening, depending on where you guys live.

So this week was quite interesting. 

Starting off with an investigator we found by contacting. We knocked on his door and usually Chinese people tend to just slam the door the second they see you. But this guy, having chains all around his body, opened up and gave us his number. Minutes after contacting him, we get a call and he asks where the church was, because he wanted to go stop by there. The next day we get a call and he asks to meet us to learn more at our house. Obviously we encouraged him to meet at a coffee shop instead and it turned out he has a real desire to "throw away the things of the past" as he said in Malay. Interesting dude!

Along with that, it's RAINY season again... YAY!! You know what that means? RAIN EVERY DAY! But not just rain all the time! Only when elders want to leave the house does it start raining, or if they want to leave their appointment it starts raining, but as soon as we get to that said appointment, it stops raining immediately. YAY!!! :D :D :D

We celebrated Elder Beliang's birthday which is tomorrow but we might not have tomorrow much if one of us gets transferred on Wednesday. A member made us a nice cake and then the member is going to make us both a traditional shirt from her tribe (Rungus) (look at this picture for details http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTCfQHSls4cUUQZ_uo-CSjew1rgOXiUOAq5GLKN3p3yLFMOtg5WUg )

Also, we had Elyjah my recent convert teach gospel principals. He was only asked to take about half of the class, but instead, he ended up teaching the whole thing. He is a natural teacher and he took the time to write notes and read the scriptures in the gospel principals book to do it. He did an impeccable job! I know he will be a great kingdom builder for the new members of the church. :D :D

Other than that.... oh another contacting story! haha we met a guy on the street wearing a cross, and when we asked him what religion he was, he waited for a couple seconds to think about it and told us he was Islam. Obviously not cuz 1) He's Kadazan and most of them are Christian 2) He's wearing a cross!. so we get that a lot, people say that so we don't continue talking to them about the gospel. And then my companion says "Oh that's OK. We are Islam too so we can just be friends." Haha, the guy was weirded out and walked away. 

We had a birthday party on Saturday for Samantha and Eddies' child of 1 years old (the 1 year birthday is very important to them, and they were going to do karaoke there. Well, it started off way boring. A member told me that she won't have elders write in her book of remembrance unless they do something crazy, and with that in mind, my companion and I started dancing behind the karaoke singer, and from there the party went from completely "GAH I WANNA GO HOME NOW" to "YES!!! LETS GO DANCING!!" haha OK not so crazy as that. it was just a little bit of fun there. The next day that member told me, "don't let me forget to have you sign my book before you transfer" :P so success! overall a great and fun week.

Elder Vincent

Transfers are coming today... dun dun dun...  

Going back to Sibu!!  This time Sibu 1st Branch last time I served in Sibu 2nd Branch.

April 6, 2015 - Easter Sunday

Happy Easter everyone!  Hope you had a great Easter with eggs and what not. First of all, I would like to start with my testimony of President Thomas S. Monson.  I know that he is a true prophet.  He lives and guides and spends his entire life to serve us, so that we can find happiness and truth in our lives.  It is his utter joy to bring people to the truth.  It saddens him each time a marriage is broken, or one does not believe in the church. He is a man, and as a man, has faults and weaknesses.  But God makes him to be one of the greatest that a man can be.  I appreciate all he does, and it grieves me to hear of our beloved brothers falling away and losing that truth and happiness that we know to cherish. Continue to love them, do not hate them for criticism is not the way to correction. Love is that way. 

But this brings us to a thought that I would like to share to all those who do raise their hands to support our prophet, seer, and revelator, Thomas S. Monson.  What are YOU doing to support him and sustain him?  Times grow ever nearer that the opposition and persecution of the church will grow stronger, and we cannot stand on the fence any longer.  We must make the ground to choose to follow or to not.  Remember and review the words of the prophet, and make choices and goals of what you will do to better sustain our prophet.  Renew your testimony by not just remembering the day you were baptized and how good you felt, but renew it by serving others and making spiritual experiences day by day.  Only then will you have sustained the prophet, and thus will not falter in your faith also. Satan doth ever desire you, for you can be used for evil if we are not careful, because he knows of our potential for good. 

D&C 123:

13. Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—
14. These should then be attended to with great earnestness.
15. Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.
16. You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.
17. Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

Did you know that this Easter also coincides with the week of Hari Hantu (Ghost Day) apparently the Buddhists burn things for their dead ancestors, and in Malaysia they have paper smart phones, paper wallets, paper watches, literally anything to burn for your ancestors! It's an interesting holiday... Little bit out of the ordinary, but interesting.

This week we didn't have general conference but next week lah! We had a fantastic week, even though all of our investigators went back to their hometown for the weekend. Didn't know Easter was so big here, wow.  Easter we had a couple big celebrations. One was our district 1st counselors's daughter's 2nd birthday. We had a huge party for them.  We taught Elyjah this week and shared some scriptures to help him get through some big trials he is having right now. The other recent convert, Steven, came back Friday from work so he should be getting the priesthood soon. :) 

Other than that we have gotten some strange people to try working with, including an exorcist. That should be interesting trying to teach him about the priesthood later. :) 

uhmmm uhmm... I can't think of anything else that happened... oh I went on exchanges with Elder Thatcher and we ended up getting lost trying to find a less active, meanwhile my companion was with Elder Hobbs and my comp was sick, so I got the better end of the deal. Haha. 

This week I also got a strange text from the Chinese sisters and asked me how to say "Where are you going?" in Czech, and I told them, then they asked me how to say "We are missionaries from a christian church" in Czech... and then later that day I asked them what that was all about and they said they met this Czech family on the bus that didn't speak any English, and they wanted to help them get to where they wanted to go, but they asked me how to say those things.  I tried telling them how to pronounce Czech, but it didn't work out. Strange since they have to learn a hard-pronunciation language, MANDARIN. :P

Dobry den! 

Elder Vincent