July 28 2014 - Temple trip planning

 This week has been good and stressful.

We had two awesome investigators come to church this week, they are studs, E and N, and the rest of their family is learning.

Finally, after so much work, and pulling strings, finally, I got this branch to pick a date for a temple trip next year, when I first got here they said no to temple work, but we have been teaching towards it and December 2015 is the Sibu 2 Temple Trip which is so freaking awesome and I'm so stoked because they are hopefully going to (by next year) have at least 7 families going.

 

also dropbox is strange this week... so no uploads...

 

sedikit-sedikit, demi lama-lama, menjadi sebuah bukit (Translate from Indo) (also the thing I actually say is sikit-sikit lama-lama jadi bukit)

also there is a kid listening to Holiday by Greenday and I'm very happy :P

 

AND NOW BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS MY LIFE IS MADE :P

 

little-bit, for a long time, into a hill

 

Did that translate right?

 

Also, first Green Day since your mission?

 

 

yep  and yep, so that is a big saying here, over time become a mountain :P

also another really good Malay song is "Aku anak Kampung" which is pretty much a guy talking to a girl saying that he is from the village, and that the girl is beautiful, but he didn't have school, and is poor, so she should find someone better, but at our branch party (which actually was pretty awesome) we all sang that on karaoke... and it was so much fun :P

anywho Jumpa Lagi also now there is a kid listening to skrillex :P

Jul 20 2014

Hey interesting little video :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnKaU-8hRAo

Cool, but now we are going to watch it in English

hahahaha

We watched that at Easter for Family Home Evening, must say it is good in a foreign language, but much better when you can read more than "and" "you" "he/she" and "not"

I know, just wanted to show you that it is in INDO!!!! woot!

I should change your FB profile picture to be your bike helmet picture!

I was going to ask that actually! Good thinking,

also the "St.Guchi" Picture is because our house has that brand of lock... so I thought it was really funny that St.Guchi is looking over the Elders house :P

I just saw that the missionaries in Sandakan Malaysia have a 6 pm curfew because of tensions with the Philippines? Do you too? Did I read that right?

Elder Harr is in Tawau... and there was a military boat right out side his church (the church is close to the beach...) With a turret and orders to shoot any invading boat and take it down, also an airplane (MH017) was shot down over Ukraine.

Malaysia will continue to have problems until there is religious freedom. Heavenly Father will not let the country remain in an chained state.

That is why Sarawak is ok, because it is the most free of any of the Malaysian provinces. So no, I have no results of the Philippines/Sabah invasions

interesting little Malay English thing, the word for "Government" and "Kingdom" is the same in Malay (Kerajaan) The root word of which is Raja or King.

So whenever we establish the "Kingdom of God" we are legitimately establishing the "Government of God"

I was on splits once with an Elder in Kuching, and we were discussing Malaysian Government, which city will have the first stake etc... (which is a pretty common topic :P)

and he pointed out a few scriptures and noted, that as foreigners we should up-hold laws, but as a member of a nation, it is our responsibility, especially as members of this church, to do everything we can to ensure the correct laws are established.

I hear that there are a few good stories in Luke's email, so will post those when I can.

Helping Elders Move - Jul 13, 201

The senior couple posted some pictures today, looks like a busy week. There was a picture of you with a bunch of people at a birthday party, with “birthday glasses” on, not sure how else to describe that. Also, zone conference and Chinese dinner, and also pictures of Elders moving furniture, for new apartments. (I only saw the back of your head in those ones, at least I think it was you!)

 

So, did you help everyone move? I think you said that  you’d be staying in the same place, everyone else was moving? Did that really happen? Is it super quiet now?

 

Ya, I did a lot of moving :P the house is such a mess right now, me and Elder Hobbs are trying so hard to get everything organized in the big house, it is such a struggle, but things are looking a lot better.

Just me and Elder Hobbs in the house, President and Sister Mains are trying to get us out of there, it isn't strange to me because with exception of two weeks in Kuching I have only lived with my companions... (Even in the MTC) so biasa sudah. We get along really well, Elder Hobbs is so diligent and loving, and we have had a lot of success together.

Sibu is awesome. We are getting a temple trip organized for next year! Which is going to be awesome, and is such a miracle, considering the branch was against having a temple trip when we got here, but things are changing, and hearts are softening, it is so great here! We have some good investigators, but I can really see the branch starting to become a real branch.

The language is Iban, it is the language of the native people... who are Iban. (There are so many different tribes (like native americans back home) but Ibans are 28% of Sarawak) Iban is similar with Malay, and so I can understand it pretty well (I called the Kota Sentosa Branch President last night and we talked in Iban, which was really cool :) ) but my speaking is not nearly as good as my listening, and I prefer Malay :P

We sent you a package when we were down in the States, which you might have gotten already. It’s up to you whether to open it or wait, it’s for your birthday.

I still haven't gotten anything, I don't know when the AP's are coming to Sibu again, but if it isn't for a while I won't get it 'till the end of this transfer...

It's been really cold here... close to 35 everyday :P

I haven't swam in so long :(

Your branch would go to the temple in the Philippines, right? Are there many people in the branch who have gone? Is dressing modestly a tough lesson because of the heat and culture, or would it just be people like me who would have a hard time with the heat, and if you grow up there it's not a big deal?


They go to Manila, there are 6 people who have gone... remember how this branch is struggling a bit :P But the great thing is we have changed this branch so much.

There are always naked people around :P people not wearing clothes, just cause they are too lazy to throw them on :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6FKiNVbw3Y

This is what President Mains showed us last zone conference

 

Airport Stories - Jul 6 2014

Wow, the cabin sounded like a lot of fun! Did I tell you about the time that we bought fireworks and had members set them off cause we aren't allowed to :P (chinese new year)

I was so busy writing those emails last week that I didn't get to tell you guys a few stories! So when we were coming back from Singapore, we flew through Kuching (and I was ticked cause everyone else had a long enough lay over in Kuching to leave the airport, and I couldn't) and there were 3 different flights going from Kuching to Sibu, me, Elder Sutherland and Elder Christensen were on the first flight, but Elder Hobbs... my companion was on a different flight!

So... I flew to Sibu (ticked that I couldn't go visit members in Kuching, cause if I had been on any other flight I could have!) but I get to Sibu... and my luggage was still in Kuching! :(

so the other two chilled with me for a bit, and then we look at the board to see that Elder Hobbs' flight has been cancelled... so my companion was in Kuching... and I was in Sibu...

but he got his flight changed, came a few hours later, with my bag! So everything turned out good, but it was really funny.

this week I got kinda sick... so I ended up sleeping for about 24 hours... Elder Berger was pretty sure I had dengue... so I called Elder Baranov and he gave me a blessing, and all ok!

We had district conference this week which was freaking awesome, so many good speakers, the 2nd counselor (but currently the only counselor...) to President Mains (President Ero) gave some amazing talks. He is Bidayuh, and one of my favourite families from Kuching, so it was so awesome to see him again, to hear him and meet with his family!

He spoke on how if you keep all the commandments, the Lord will bless you to be learned, and successfull... and I think everyone believed him as he pulled up in his lexus, and then his wife came later in a mercedes... (btw, cars are ridiculously expensive here...) but ya... he has deep pockets :P

I got to translate his talk for President and Sister Mains, that was scary :P but a lot of fun!

Dad wants to know if you have a mission doctor? Or, did you go see a doctor? Or, call Sis Mains?

I called Sis Mains, and talked with her yesterday at zone conference. Dad should know I can handle myself :P

That's exciting that you got to translate for the Mains, guess your Malay must actually be good! It must be hard to keep listening and talk at the same time.
 

"must actually be good" -_- among the best.

WHAT THE HECK LUKE IS WEARING MY HOODIE!

Also pics, my branch mission leader giving me a hair cut

 

Our recent convert J working his hamburger shop,

Brother E's kids (Branch mission leader) ... just cause all three of them are really cute... but also always steal my camera

 

 

Canada day Rubik's cube,

Independence day Rubik's cube

and beautiful Sarawak

 

I LOVED THE MINI STICKS

I goof around with them all the time, and could use them on p-day (I am the only one from Canada though... so...probably no one else is gonna want to...)

Anyways, I'm logging off...

 

JUMPA LAGI!

Elder Bester