April 13, 2010

hello hello

How is America doing? Sister Sanders from our branch left for the US this week to visit her kids for a couple weeks, I told her to say hi to America for me. It miss it. I hope you are all finishing up the semester ok, that is never a fun time of the year. Very stressful. But you're all champs so no worries.
I am excited to read your book Dad. I'm not sure if I can read it here though. I find out. Maybe, maybe not.
Malaysia is treating me pretty well. It seems to get hotter and hotter every day. I have a good amount of shirts to wear that I brought but I cycle through only four of them. I only wear these shirts because when they get wet they don't look any different. This is important because we sweat a ton here. I feel like I'm walking around in a hot yoga room every day. I don't mind though, when I am sitting on the trains or inside I find myself wanting to be outside in the heat again because I get so cold.

We have done a lot of contacting this week. We don't have very many people to teach who are able to meet us in the afternoon because of work, so we contact. Lately we have been going to the parks to try and talk to people there. Sister Lim and I play Rock Paper Scissors to determine who goes up and starts the conversation. She is very good a Rock Paper Scissors.... So, I'm the one getting practice starting conversations out of nothing, which is never an easy task.
The other day we had a not so great day of talking to people, plus all of our appointments set up for the evening canceled last minute. Walking home that night we weren't too happy. Sister Lim kept throwing her umbrella on the ground and kicking it. I finally had to take it from her so she wouldn't destroy it. (she has gone through two already in the two months she has been here). I was able to cheer us up by acting like an idiot and dancing around with her umbrella and making her laugh (missionaries aren't supposed to dance but it was late so...), plus that night I taught her how to make German Pancakes which she LOVED. So, we were able to end the day in good spirits. And now she has made German Pancakes every night for the past four nights...

I managed to stay another transfer in KL, and I'm going on my sixth month here. The Elders kept telling me I was going to get transfered because I had already been here six months but they were wrong. I'm glad too because it means I have more time with Sister Lim!

Watching conference was AWESOME. Except my bum hurt so bad after sitting in a plastic chair for that long. Watching conference on a comfortable couch at home is a completely different experience. Also, I don't know what it is but the mission has definitely turned me into a cry baby. I cried in every talk, I even cried in the songs haha, what is the DEAL. The messages were so good. On Sunday between the sessions we had a pot luck at the church. It wasn't supposed to be a pot luck, everyone was just supposed to bring food for themselves because it was only an hour break and no one would have enough time to travel home. However, for the missionaries it was a pot luck, every member was begging us to come eat with them. Why do members feel like they always need to be stuffing our faces! I do appreciate them though.

I'll tell you about a good lesson we had yesterday. Back in Feb we started teaching a guy named Vimalan. He is a friend of one of the members. We taught him few times and tried to get him to come to church but he wouldn't so we put him on the back burner for awhile. Last week we were shocked when we walked into the church building and saw Vimalan sitting there. He just decided he wanted to come and see what church was like. For a few days after we tried to committ him to come to church again but he kept giving us the excuse, "ah see first lah" or "see how lah", which translates into "I don't want to come so I'm not going to committ". I hate it when people tell us "see first lah" because first of all, it doesn't make sense and it isn't even real English, and second it means they aren't going to do whatever you asked them to do. But yesterday, in the lesson we read with him in the Book of Mormon when Christ came and was teaching the people. I felt the spirit very strongly as we read, but I never know if it is just me feeling it or if everyone else is too. At the end of the lesson I asked him one more time if he would come to church this Sunday. Jonathan, his friend that's a member, said "see first lah" jokingly, probably because he didn't want to make Vimalan feel uncomfortable. But Vimalan simply replied, "I'll be there". I was shocked and happy. He never says he will do what we ask him to do. It was awesome.

I love members who help us teach. It makes our investigators feel so much more at ease when they have a friend that is there.

love you all so much
sister v