Great week in Mukah - Aug 25, 2014

Hey! I'm on line!

Had an awesome week! I freaking love this branch, I'm doing a preach my gospel survey right now, so I'll chat in a bit

I just finished haha, anyways, I got my priesthood line thanks so much, that was really cool to see!

This week was a lot of work, we hit almost all of our goals, and exceeded the majority of them, we had a "pioneer party" which was a lot of fun, and a bunch of investigators came to both the party and church!

Elder Shorts is great, and a very intelligent missionary, and working together has been a lot of fun!

What kind of goals do you have? Number of contacts or number of lessons or something?

number of lessons, investigators on date, investigators @ sacrament etc. Preach My Gospel has it all defined, and M Russell Ballard last general conference told members to start using it, so it is all in there :P

Hey I'll send pics this week.

Some awesome investigators, there is a family of a missionary currently serving in this mission who we are teaching, we put a husband of a sister on date yesterday, and that was absolutely exciting, the members here really understand the church. Our branch president is only 27 years old, but he already is in charge of his long house, he is freaking awesome. We've had some awesome success, and should have 4 baptisms on October 4th!

Our appartment is a house, but it is much smaller than the one in Sibu, so it is nice and clean :) we are lacking a lot of stuff, but the mission won't let us get new stuff because the senior couple is leaving... in a month... so we just get their stuff.

There was a time last week when I asked our investigator, Brother T, if he would pray at the end of the lesson, but I accidently said "Brother, bolehkah kamu tidur" which means, can you sleep... which was so funny, cause the mistake came out so fluently :P

I freaking love this branch, it is hard to describe, there is currently 2 missionaries serving (they have the same amount as our home WARD... how on earth?) and we are helping S (who will be Elder E) get ready for his mission, as he is waiting to get interviewed with President Mains! We went to a place to eat with him where you cook your own food on like a stove... it was awesome!

The first people from the branch (with exception to the two missionaries) to go to the temple are going in about a month! So we are very excited for them as they are making such a great choice! And as a result, the branch is planning a trip to go during June next year!

We had a pioneer day, and we got decorations and had a fake fire, and lots of food :P It was so much fun, the senior couple has previously served a senior mission in Nauvoo in the pagents (or something) there, so they did a little act, and the branch absolutely loved it! We had 46 people at church, which was awesome! The district Presidency came up this week from Sibu with (a week ago Elder) brother K, who just finished his mission (son of the Elders quorum president in Sibu 2) and there was a freaking awesome sacrament meeting!

 

one year almost! Hey I'm uploading pictures right now... so there are pictures of the members who were in Sibu when I went back for Zone Meeting (I also got to stop by KM's house, Brother J was at Kampung so I was unable to see him but gave him a call) chillin with S cooking out food, and also our Branch president's long house!

anyways! I'm out of here! Remember how blessed you are to be in the most mormon major city in Canada! (so therefore the most blessed :P)

 

Life in Mukah - Aug 17 2014

HEY! I'm online! Glad everyone had fun at provincials, and from what Jordan tells me, sounds like he had a lot of success!

I'm sitting beside an 18 year old missionary right now, so I'm no longer the youngest Malay speaking missionary :P

My birthday was weird because now I'm 19 and that is old... cause next year is going to be really weird... so my head isn't quite faham-ing the whole "I'm 19 thing" (faham = understand I think)

Mukah is freaking dope. It is clean, and very beautiful, very nice, also much smaller than Sibu (which was very small compared to Kuching :P) It is the smallest place in Malaysia with a branch, but the members there are awesome. Including babies and children, there are not even 200 people on record... so still very new, the group was formed 5 (maybe 6) years ago, (the current branch president said 5, but I think there was one family 6 years ago that was allowed to have the sacrament, and the rest started getting baptized about 3-4 years ago) it has only been a branch for 3 years, I'm the 17th Elder to ever serve in Mukah as a branch... so it is an extremely rare, and blessed opportunity, to strengthen a branch and help it flourish.

The members who go are strong, not as many go, but no one left after 1st hour this week (church attendance, was 30 this week, the last two weeks were 53 and 54) more priesthood holders came to Mukah this week than ever went to Sibu 2... :P so I'm enjoying the fact that it actually runs like a branch, and not like an incredibly weak ward, with too much people and no attendance :P

Mukah is small, so only me and Elder Shorts [and a senior couple who are going home soon and not being replaced... :( ] Elder Shorts is from Mappleton Utah, and he is freaking awesome, we get along really well, and he is a really chill guy. He previously served with Elder Stewart (the other missionary from Alberta) so has served with 2/3 of the Canadian missionaries :P

I don't really see to much of missionaries coming and going... cause not only am I in small Sibu... but I'm in isolated Mukah :P so new/old missionaries doesn't affect me too much :P but we came down to Sibu today (for Zone meeting tomorrow) so I get to meet a few.

My group had 24 missionaries, and the one 6 before me had 25, so big groups coming and going is pretty biasa. (biasa = ordinary, according to Google Translate)

We have some awesome investigators, including a family of a missionary currently serving in this mission (Elder Takin) and there is a lot of potential in Mukah. My companion was in Elder Hill's group and has been out for about 16 months. (I hit my year mark soon fyi)

anywho :P

Jumpa Lagi,
Elder Bester

 

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/missionary-experiences-shape-future?cid=HPMO081114394

also these are some cool stats, I didn't read all of it cause I got bored at about the pictures, but the stats were really cool

sorry a little late today because we bused down from Mukah to Sibu... (3+ hours...) so ya... we have meeting tomorrow... did I say that already?

How has the food been?

Food has been good. I've been in Mukah for 4 days...

What is the bus like?

The bus is different depending on the company. I went to Sibu on a really junky bus... came back on a nice one, just bring our bikes on. Malaysia has poor people (who get by) and very rich people... so there are nice buses... also there aren't many people in Sarawak... (3 million) and about half (and maybe more) live in Kuching, Bau, Serian, Sri Aman (which are all Kuching Area) so there is no crowds on the bus. When I got on in Sibu I was the only one, when I got to Mukah it was full though.

Transfers are fun, you travel your self... otherwise how am I supposed to go...?

OH! So the night of transfers I was packing etc. and didn't sleep... at all... so I got on my bus at 7:30 and slept until almost Mukah, when a bunch of Indonesian field workers got on the bus, so I gave them my seat and sat on the back, (really hot on top of the engine) by my bike haha it was a lot of fun :P

We played touch rugby last p-day and it was really rainy... so we got really muddy :P

I sent some pictures of wonderful families and investigators in Sibu, and I get to go see Brother J today and buy a burger from him!!!!! so I'm pretty stoked

 

also Mom, the bridge and the big building are Mukah, also the entry where you wrote (on my blog) "learning Jawi" you put a picture with Chinese that meant Sibu... (on a white board)  a while ago...

 

anyways, hope this week was good, being in a new area is fun, but always challenging, but it's fun, I love the branch here, it is another shop lot branch, but it is so much fun.

sorry shop lot means we meet in a shop lot and not a chapel... so like in a building with a bunch of stores... and one of the "stores" is a church...

Jumpa Lagi

Elder Bester

 

Transfer news - Aug 10, 2014

It was Brent's birthday yesterday, Aug 9, so I told him to measure himself so we could add his height to our wall...

ok I'll measure my self, except it might be cool to have the gap and be like "that was when I was growing spiritually" :P

also Dad should e-mail me :P cause he is the only other person related to me who has served a mission and he understands what a mission is :P and I want to hear about trek from him.

Also you didn't answer any of my questions from last week :P

also it is transfers this week, but we do not yet have the info :P

I just got transferred to Mukah... Its only been 2 transferrs and I love the people here... ugg I thought I had 2 more transfers at least... but oh well... My companion is the district leader... and our district is a senior couple, me and him...

His name is Elder Shorts, and he is pretty short :P

anyways... ummm ya I don't know what to think :P

From a response to Mike

I just got transferred to the tiniest little place in the world -_- where there is my companionship and a senior couple, but I go where the Lord wants me to, I'm really excited about the place, but don't understand why I was only given such a short time in this branch that I have come to love so much.

Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed trek, and I'm so happy to serve the Lord, I've been reading Jesus the Christ, and it is eye-opening, and life changing. (Just finished chapter 22 this morning) but I feel like it is a book much more appreciated as a missionary than as a pre-missionary, and I'm glad I'm finally reading it :P

It was awesome here in Sibu, but so hard to leave because there is so much I could do.

I asked where Mukah is, and if they would still buy food, or have to cook now

It is in the same zone, it is a 3 hour bus ride north of Sibu... it is kinda in the middle of no where...

I got the package thank you so much :) Mukah has a KFC and no McDonalds... there is nothing there :P haha

Then I looked up Mukah, and saw that there seems to be a lot of seafood, this was the response

so Ibans (and other local Sarawak people) take prawn and smash it with gross vegetables and make my least fav dish in the world called blacan :P

I'm excited to go to Mukah, just don't want to leave Sibu :P I feel like transfers would be a lot easier if I was in a mission closer to home, where I know I could go back often,

 

I sent some pics of stuff, mainly food.

I asked if he saw the picture of the height wall

I did, Jordan is still shorter than me at 17 :P

anyways I'm off !

Jumpa Lagi,
Elder Bester

 

New Investigator - August 3,2014

Hello Family!

I hope that you enjoyed trek, and that you were all uplifted and enlightened!

The mission field is the "big trek" so get ready :P

quick couple questions, how big was the last package you sent? because there is a package in Singapore that was too big for the AP's to bring, and if that is you guys, I love you so much :P

also could you send some more pepto bismol? k thanks

umm... my companion may have possibly dropped my fossil watch and cracked the screen -_- (whatever it is just a thing so nbd) but what is the deal for the warranty for Fossil watches? and could I send it home and get it fixed?

I forgot my camera this week... so I'll send more pictures next week...

also I don't have my priesthood line... could you guys send that?

 

And Bro. Johns sent me a bunch of chocolate and he is the greatest guy in the freaking world. He is truly the candy man :P

also dropbox kinda sucks in this place...

Also have you guys looked into anything for school for me... cause like I know you all miss me and don't want me to go to school after I come home... but I want to not live in a cardboard box... and would like a nice car and a family... so I need to go to school... and things like scholarships... and/or acceptance to a school would be nice :)

 

anyways this week I got a fever of 39C (102F) but the first day I got sick, we went out, and I started not feeling good... but I went and taught 3 families before I would admit I was sick :P then I slept pretty much the whole next day, drank 100plus, and then... was still kinda sick ish the next day, but after that all good!

I went on splits with Elder Sutherland, which was so much fun because we served together in Kuching, and he trained me... so we got to have a day again to kick butt. It was a lot of fun, and it was nice to see how much both me and him have changed.

We were at K-M's house (who we are helping to go to the temple next year) and we asked one of their neighbours if we could help. Turns out he was drunk, but he came up to us saying (in broken English, that is how you can tell if some one is drunk, they try as hard as they can to speak English it is so annoying :P ) asking us to help him quit smoking and drinking so he can fix his family and be a better man. So we are meeting him daily right now, to help him get over his addictions, he smokes about 40 cigarettes a day, and we have yet to meet him sober, but the amazing thing is, that if he wants to, he can stop this week through Jesus Christ and his atonement.

We had 60 people at church, which was awesome because K's family came (Even though he and his wife had work they went to sacrament and went late) and they brought our investigator family!

umm... lots of things happen on a mission... I'll just tell you all about it in another year or so :P

Jumpa Lagi!

Elder Bester