Baptisms - April 27, 2014

From an email to Troy

Are you a good missionary?

I am a good missionary :P we had two baptisms last saturday! R and P. They are really awesome guys, and they want to go on missions now! R is 21 from a country called Timur East, and P is Iban (Malaysian) and 18 and really cool. They have amazing testimonies!

P got in a car crash last month, and the driver and 2 other people died, but he said because he had the Book of Mormon with him, he didn't die! He is awesome and he asked me to baptize him!

I will send pictures, but we need to upload them... and I forgot my card reader, so I might not get to this week.

YAY!!!! The mission goal is 545, and that means by the end of the year, every companionship needs 6. I'm feeling good cause I'm sitting at 3 :)

Also the Kuching district wants 100 this year (... we are only at 9) but Kota Sentosa branch has 4! so it is really exciting! (The branch goal is 20) so I feel like I have done what I can to get us towards those goals.

We had over 50 people stay at all three hours (...51) which is the first time that has happened since I've been here. The branch is wonderful and I don't ever want to leave :P

What are you doing for PDay?

We are going to a mosque later!

Do you need anything from us?

umm, pictures are always fun

But actually what I need is for you all to give out a copy of the book of mormon to a friend before next monday! :) and by the end of next month to invite a friend to meet with the missionaries in your home!

Well I'm off to Kuching!

Jumpa Lagi!

Elder Bester

also mom, one funny line from one of the moms in our branch she said "Kerja Ibu tidak pandai habis" or the work of a mother dosen't know how to stop :P

Also I told the senior couple about your mothers day talk when you talked about all or "Brent's moms" and I told Sister Boyter that she was one of them :P

April 20, 2014 email

From an email with Troy:

How is Singapore?

Singapore is really cool, Kuching is my favourite place in the world because I love the church so much and I have gotten to help so many people and gotten to make so many people happy!

What is the weirdest food you have eaten?

The weirdest food... hmm... there is a lot... chicken feet, durian (but I really like durian), weird vegetables, snake! (but snake is soooooooo good)

 

Do you have an umbrella?

 I don't have an umbrella, because there is so much rain it wouldn't help!

 

Are you good at riding your bike?

 I am really good at riding my bike, I can ride with no hands almost all the way from church to our house, and I can do wheelies!

 

Is your house big or small? I don't know if our house is big or small.

My house is kinda small, but there are only 2 of us and we aren't really in it that much, so it is big enough :)

our house in Calgary is much bigger than any of the houses of the members in my branch (but the english/chinese branch has some nice houses)

Email with Mom

Do you get to Skype on Mother's Day?

yep, I get to skype on mothers day! when is that...

Do you go to the dentist ever?

nope, I don't go to the dentist... I could if I wanted to... but I would have to wait till I'm in Singapore... and that would be a waste of time and money :P

Do you still listen to the music you have there, what is your favorite right now?

I do, because we believe by andre bocelli is probs my favourite,

About hearing that we watched hockey on Good Friday

I love that they set up the hockey game even during easter, that is true Bester family :P

I told him about having a family over on Sunday, and our home teachers too

Our Elder's quorum president reminds me of our home teacher, just cause he loves everyone and is willing to do more than just home teach.

I love when members of the church gather together like that, that is where it's at!

Jumpa Lagi!
Elder Bester

 

Conference - April 13, 2014

Our usual place is closed... so we are in an even worse place for email today...

I can't really use email today, so I will probably not be able to email all my siblings or anyone else until next week, because it takes a really long time to send an email.

An amazing story this week, so the first session of general conference started... and there were 5 people there... 4 missionaries and our investigator R! (by the end of the 1st session there were 10...) (not the best turn out :P)

R does not have much, he is from an island in Indonesia, owned by Singapore, and is working in Malaysia and currently making half of minimum wage (only making RM400/month or about $130 a month) lives in a tiny little square above his work, but he is possibly the most charitable person I have ever met. He met a guy walking along without a shirt, and even though he only owns a few shirts, he gave him his shirt off his back, bought him a drink and sent him on his way.

That is just the kind of character this guy is.
But in between the 2 sessions on saturday, there was a lunch, and everyone (all 10 of us...) were eating and talking, and as we finished, R started cleaning everyone's dishes, while everyone just continued. I was so shocked, not the branch president, or the elder's quorum president, the humble under payed worker.  

 

So I just want to say to the family that what I took away from conference, is that we can not sit on the fence. Either this church is true, and it is the only thing that matters, or it is false and it doesn't matter at all, but there is no in between, and we can not choose to only be half way. Jeffery R Holland said that so well, I encourage you guys to watch that again. (Niel L Anderson also, Russell M Nelson,Quintin L Cook, Pres Uchtdorf,) I also recommend the entire priesthood sesion again... cause it was absolutley incredible. Dallin H Oaks gave an absolutley amazing talk that was an example of how firm in the faith we need to be.

I had a thought when D Todd Christofferson was speaking of the humble silent power that radiated from him. It was incredible to see where the power of God is.

I know that we have living prophets today, and they speak the words of God, declaring to the world the truth of this gospel, because it is true, and when we know that, we can not doubt it.
I know that we need to stand firm in the faith, bold in front of those who despise, brave in front of those who hate, unwavering in front of those who revile, because this is the Lord's work, not ours, and it can not and will not fail. The Lord's works can not be frusturated! (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1-2) and we have the opportunity, chance, and responsibility to choose if we are going to be on the Lord's side, or if we are going to "sleep through the restoration"

Every member a missionary, every member an example, every member a representative of Jesus Christ. We make covenants, at baptism all the way until the temple, and we need to live up to those covenants, and wear the name of Jesus Christ on out hearts.

There is no greater work than this, nothing is more important than the Savior and his atonement.

The Book of Mormon is true because of course Jesus Christ would talk to more than just the Israelites, and of course it is another testament of Jesus Christ.
Joseph Smith was a prophet, because Heavenly Father wouldn't leave his children alone in the darkness without the proper knowledge of the Savior's atonement, and how we can return to live in Heaven with our families forever.

As Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we can not doubt, we can not fear, and we need to go to work.

I was so glad I could understand things in Malay, cause I still understood conference, the last session had 10 people, 4 were asleep, 5 were playing on phones and the last one was me, I realized that if nothing else, my mission is going to allow me to never fall away, and stand strong in the faith

Well I am going to log off so that maybe my email to president will load faster,
Love you all
Jumpa Lagi,

Please put a post, and or tell Padoch, Kenzie, bro.Johns and my siblings that I will email next week

Elder Bester 

Families - Apr 6 2014

HEY EVERYONE!

 

I'm still in Kota Sentosa hahah 5th transfer... sooooo long.

I love Elder Reynolds, I am so excited to get to serve with him again!
Still District Leader, and there is another companionship coming into Kota Samarahan!! So now there are 4 companionships and a senior couple in this area, and I am so excited!

 

So this week we had zone conference in Singapore! Which was awesome! I was so inspired and felt the holy ghost soooooooooooo strongly! It was absolutely incredible!

But one of my favourite parts was when president showed a video of a family doing work and praying for a missionary (who happens to be in our mission) and it was awesome. I realized just how amazing a family is, and just how important of a role I am playing right now, also I realized that I can feel your prayers for me. I always wondered why we pray for missionaries, but now I truly now, because I can truly feel it.

I am so thankful for my family, and that is why temples are so important.

Read the scriptures daily together and individually, that is all we need to do and we will never fall away.

Elder Boyter (the senior couple in my district, who is to me kinda like my mission dad... except that that is president Mains...) said something this week of "What are you going to do so that when you return home from your mission, the Missionaries serving there won't have to help reactivate you" and he stressed the importance of reading the book of Mormon every day! There is nothing else that is that Important! Because if we do that, then everything else will follow.

I had a thought and it was "I wish it hadn't taken me 3 transfers and an ocean to realize how much I love my family" Make sure that you guys do things together every day!

I love you all, I had an incredible week, so spiritual! I love the work, make sure you are helping the missionaries back home. Invite people to straight up meet the missionaries. Inviting people to activities is good, but inviting them to Family Home Evening, church, and meeting the missionaries is so much better. We have this happiness in our lives because we know the truth so why should we not have the responsibility to share it.

I love you all, and remember that every member is a missionary. I only listened to President Monson's opening remarks and Elder Holland's Saturday talk (so far, i listen to everything else in Malay this weekend) Elder Holland's talk is incredible, and I really recommend listening to that talk for FHE and realizing that it is our responsibility to be missionaries.

Jumpa Lagi!

Elder Bester

About the pictures:

the one in the house is A and A and they are moving to KK so we went to their house.

The butterfly pictures are in the Singapore airport (honestly Singapore is the coolest city in the world) and the other one is a bill of the missionaries when we go to Chili's in Singapore :P