Baptism and Caves - Mar 30, 2015

I'm still thinking about my bike, if I bring it home it won't be anything extra to cost or anything, because I have 2 checked bags, and only one bag to check in, so I should be good, but I'm not sure if I'll bring it home or not. Considering that I'll have my road bike (that's still at home right...?) so I don't really need 2 bikes... but still wouldn't be bad to have an extra bike, so still pondering that one.

Skiing is fun, but I'm not that good... so I'll have to practice while Jordan is on his mission...

Ya, I already heard about Justin and his death :/ sad story

Bro Condron <3 the best. What a good pic.

It hit me the other day that I'm getting old... and almost 20.

I sent my cool stories to Katie, but L got baptized this week! So I'll send some pics home in a sec...

Hey any news from UofA or UofC?

Jumpa Lagi,

Elder Bester

From Katie's letter

Hey! It was monday so I got the day off... haha not really

Oh-no. Remind Mom and Dad that they wouldn't even let me get fb 'till I was in High school.

I'm not really good at skiing, and I don't think I've ever skied with Dad, so while that's probably a true statement, Dad has no idea :P

WE HAD A BAPTISM ON SATURDAY YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

I went on splits with Elder Parker, and we taught a family that can't speak Malay! So the entire lesson was in Iban! So I got to teach a lesson in my 3rd language.

I had a really awesome lesson this week with one of our investigators, her name is V, and we talked more about baptism, and she was so spiritually in-tune, I've gotten to see her change so much, and she really has the desire to get baptized now :) She is on date for the 11th of April, but because that is when we watch General Conference, she will probably be baptized on the 10th of April (hopefully)

We went to Fairy caves today, and a few of us went to the back of the caves (past the sign that said don't keep climbing...) and went out the back of the caves and climbed on top of them! There is a whole jungle on top of the caves, it was so much fun!

Anyways!

Jumpa Lagi!

Elder Bester

 

 

Mar 22, 2015 - This week and Last week

Last week:

Also! Just as exciting (haha not really) Elder Sessions and I had our 18 month mark this week! so we made a bunch of mexican food, that was delicious.

Also, V, (the friend of all the youth, don't know if I've kept you up to date or not...) she accepted a baptismal date for 2 weeks from now, that was really exciting :)

Anyways, that's everything that comes to mind

Elder Bester

We had brutal rain on sunday... so only 29 people at church (last week was 61)

Also speaking of the rain... this week I biked over to church in my church shoes, a t-shirt over my shirt and shorts, changed in the bathroom in the church because of the rain. haha that was funny

From this week:

I told him we were going to try skiing as a family this week.

hahah, please send me pictures before and after the hospital.

And about a friend coming home from his mission

Brother Low now haha, if he's coming home that means I'm getting old...

An update, haven't heard from UofA or UofC

I'm pretty down with the idea of UBC...  but will see...

anyways, might have a baptism this week... :)

 

I asked about what was new

We met a guy who has been wanting an english class! so English class actually had some effectiveness to it! We had an awesome branch council, We have a baptismal interview for our investigator, and I just told a really noisy kid to be quiet.

Gave him a March Madness update

Oh good, so I'm winning :)

I also realized I don't really have pictures this week... oops :)

Mar 8 - Staying in Kuching!

My house is the exact same, no one got transfered, still have the same companion.

TROY YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN SWIM!

yay! UBC!!!

Anyways I'm on and way stoked about UBC!

So glad you get to stay, that stretch of lots of short transfers seemed pretty hard on you

It was so annoying :P

Hey! As of today I have 5 months until I'm 20!!!

Tomorrow for all of you though :P

Also Wednesday is my 18month mark!

I re-learned log this week, that was good, my physics and math is actually not horrible right now...

k! Pictures

So first! Our toaster was making weird noises and shorting out, turns out Cicak's (lizards) got into our toaster! and died...

 

There are some nice sunsets by my house, and our district (minus the chinese Elders)

 

We painted our bikes!!! That was way fun, so mine is straight white with maple leafs on it.

 

Also there is a picture by a river, that was right beside a gov't built long house in the middle of Kuching (because it was gov't built for low rent it wasn't very good... hence no pictures of it...) but there was a long house in the middle of Kuching!!! What the heck? so weird.

Anyways, I'm going! Jumpa Lagi! Elder Bester

Mar 1, 2015 - Trip to Singapore

How was your trip to Singapore? Borders ok?

Borders were ok, I got an extra stamp that says I'm not allowed to work... but still got 90 days, so I'm a-ok

Katie's school team made it to the finals in div 2, and then lost by 3 points I think to sjam! It was a good game though, Katie played almost the whole game!
Way to go Katie!
I have been checking the university sites, but no changes yet. I think at u of a the deadline to apply for sept is May, so maybe we will have to wait until then :(

until May... that's in forever...
Jordan is getting his braces off finally! April 2! And then he has one more dentist appointment on apr 29 and then he can submit his papers! I'm hoping they find a way to bump that appointment up so he can send in his papers a week earlier, but we will see. If he does, maybe he will get them right before Mother's Day and can open them with you there!

Before Mothers day! That would be so soon! How long has Jordan had orthodontist work? like 10 years :P

Singapore was fun, we got to watch meet the mormons! That was such a good movie, I loved the start of it, absolutely hilarious, the main host walks around NYC asking people about mormons, and it felt like I was talking to people about mormons in high school :P it was so funny.

pictures!

comparison of Islam to Mormon... notice it's opposite...

Chinese people in Malaysia

 

Elder Sessions asleep at a house

Story time!

So we went to KFC by waterfront, and the cashier was impressed that we spoke Malay, and kinda flirty, so they asked if we could speak Iban, so I ordered in Iban and talked in Iban, and as we were sitting down eating, one of the workers brought me the napkin, and said it was the Iban girl in the back...

anyways, could you do me a favour and add them on FB :P

Feb 15 2015 - Lots of pictures!

I don't ever have to help with sacrament in Kuching, there are always enough people (if they don't have enough youth normally other members bless/pass the sacrament instead of elders)

I had to give an "emergency talk" yesterday, because the brother who was supposed to give the talk didn't come... somehow I always get picked for talks... in all my branches. I've given 3 talks here already... my companion (he says he gave 1) hasn't given any since I've been here. I don't play piano very often, I always try to make sure members play, one of the youth can play a few hymns from the hymn book, and there is an RM who can play some also, and if they can't play it they just play  simplified hymns.

I might go to Dairy Queen in Singapore!!! Also, I'll be in Singapore for my 6 months left day... (Feb.26th)

OH YA! I was actually sick this week, like not what Mom thinks sick is, like I was actually sick... got a fever up to 39.3 degrees... that was rough, but I'm all good!

We have some new investigators from some part member families, things are going pretty good!

Elder Bester

Anyways pictures!

Barbequing at Christmas!

Elder Yang and Elder Sessions sleeping

Elder Sessions "Puming" the branch president's son on his bike

 

Mangosteen (the fruit)

Our investigator following us to find less-actives (the little girl on Elder Sessions Shoulders)

Those aren't our hats, they are Sister M's hats, (an old 80+ year old sister in our area) and we borrowed them

 

A pet monkey

The performance at the cultural center

 

 

More Cultural Center...

 

 

Me with an old Bidayuh guy who works at the center

Japanese skulls kept over a fire in an "Iban longhouse" (The Iban (ancient) belief is that the soul is kept in the skull of a person, so when the Japanese invaded Sarawak, the Iban's chopped off their heads and kept their skulls burning over a fire to continually burn their souls.)

 

(still cultural center) Iban drums

a spider...

a waterfall...

Me wearing a Malay thing...

 

Us digging the grave for the newly departed former branch president.... with a log in the middle of it

 

Goats I saw while on splits with Elder Harr in Batu Kawah, that was cool 'cause I've never seen pet goats in Kuching, like imagine you drove around MacEwan and saw goats... same concept

 

The chair of the guy who binded my Kitab Mormon into hard cover

 

Sister S's baptism! 

 

Us visiting Sister K and Sister B in the hospital (the old members from Kota Sentosa, they were the main help in my area back in Sentosa)

 

A jug plant (in Bako)

 

Beautiful Bako... lot's of pictures from my mission... in Bako

 

Elder Sessions with the Babi #haram

Our investigator on the back of Elder Sessions' bike

 

ok that should be all my pictures

I was reading some of your emails and Luke says that you were visiting people in the hospital because you were really sick and already there. No wonder I worry!

hahahahahaha that's so funny, no, we don't go to the government hospitals in the event of an emergency, we always go to private clinics because Malaysian hospitals are sketch. (I've never needed to go to a hospital on my mission)

Did you get your new suit? Is there anything you need?

got a new suit, is there a way you could ship a peter's milk shake here and timbits?