Hey,
Sorry I didn't write yesterday. This week was Zone Conference so it messed things up a bit. I can't believe we had Zone Conference again, it seems like we just had one. The time is flying, but then it's creeping along ever so slowly like it always does; missions are funny like that. Zone Conference was great, as usual. I think I have the world's smartest mission president. He knows everything there is to know about church doctrine, deep doctrine. Part of our training each Zone Conference is just on doctrine. This time he focused on angels, just angels. It was fascinating, a very interesting topic to explore. After Zone Conference I'm always pumped to go work but always a little sad too. Zone Conferences are so fun because all the missionaries get together. When it ends its like all your friends are leaving. For P-day this week we met the 8 Elders serving in Bintuluh (the city 3 hours south of us) at Niah Caves. Then were busing up to Miri for Zone Conference and Batu Niah is right between Bintuluh and Miri. We decided to all meet up there and hike the caves again. It was fun. There were about 20 of us. While we were in the dark caves the Elders scared me pretty bad. There is a point on the trail were you hike through the cave and it is pitch black, we carry torchlights. Elder Bench and Tyler went missing and I didn't really think anything of it since everyone else said they had decided to turn around and head back. When we all decided to turn around and go back I ended up leading the group (i'm sure that was no accident). After a while of walking in the dark Elder Bench and Elder Tyler jumped out from behind a rock right in front of me yelling. I'll admit, they got me pretty good, it was dark! I screamed. Not funny. They thought it was hysterical though.
I enjoy hiking in the jungle. This time we got poured on, only on the way back though and it actually didnt' last very long. This rain was torrential. We hike on boardwalks and stairs so it got really slick. I kind of felt like I was hiking underwater; it was some serious jungle rain. We took shelter under this little stand were a bunch of Iban ladies were selling bead work and other handicrafts on the side of the trail. After about 10 minutes the rain was gone and the hot hot sun was beating down, so we could continue on. Jungle weather is insane; it goes for flood to oven instantly.
So sounds like y'all had another great week in Idaho/Utah. You sound busy Dad. I hope you get a P-Day sometime soon. Hope the goodbyes weren't too tearful when Brittany and Brent left. Sounds like I'll have to make a trip to Texas when I get back, just to visit. I hear Texas is worse weather than Malaysia....good luck you two:-) This week I have had to kill a cockroach in my shower every morning. I don't know where they are all coming from!!! One time I didn't see it until after I was already showering. My eyes were closed and I felt something crawling all over my leg and foot. Ew Ew Ew Ew Ew Ew. It was huge. I screamed and then annihilated it with the 409 bottle I had handy on my bathroom sink. I'm almost out of 409...I seriously hate bugs.
This week has been pretty busy. We are teaching a lot of single men (no surprise there) with a smoking problem. A lot of the people we are teaching right now don't really know how to think. They have had no schooling or anything and it is a little bit difficult. They don't understand anything we teach. After I get done explaining what a prophet is and why we need them I ask Ipan (one of our investigators) "So, what is a prophet". He just stares at me, then at the ground, then becomes fascinated with something on his pants, then chuckles and says "I don't know". So then I say, "a prophet is a man called by God, to lead us, he has God's power" (pretty basic right?) and then I ask again immediately after tellling him that, "ok so Ipan, what's a prophet?" He again stares around for a bit and says, " I don't understand, I forgot already" I don't really know what else I can do, it's like teaching a wall. His two friends were even worse. At least Ipan says he didn't know or that he forgot. His two friends woudn't say anything. I would think it was evidence of lack of interest but they keep coming to church and they are trying to stop smoking so they are interested, they just don't know how to think. Slowly but surely I'm sure they will get there. We are teaching 3 other guys just like them. Where are all the girls! I shouldn't complain.
I am very excited for Saturday. Moses, Payah and Amelia will be baptized. Moses and Payah are the parents of the three sisters we baptized a couple months ago, Angela, Anastasya and Lydia. Amelia is their other sister. The whole family will be members!! I'm so so so so happy. Payah is 8 months pregnant and was really scared to be baptized. The senior sisters changed her outlook on it. We brought them along for the meeting and Sister Lowe told Payah to think of her unborn baby in heaven, cheering for her and hoping that she would be baptized. Sister Lowe told Payah to think of how special that baby would be to be born in a family that already are all members. I was sitting there translating it all for Sister Lowe and it was incredible. I never would have thought to say the things Sister Lowe brought up. Maybe it's because I have never been a mom. The things Sister Lowe said changed everything. Payah went from wanting to wait until after her baby was born, to wanting to be baptized the very next week (this week). It was awesome. Amelia, the daughter, didn't want to be baptized because her friends were all in the SIB church. But that same lesson Sister Lowe told her a story of a family she knew who for a reunion wore shirts that read "no empty chairs in heaven". Which meant they wanted their entire family to make it back to heaven. Again, through translating for Sister Lowe, Amelia's mind was completely changed too. She didn't want to be the empty chiar, she didn't want to be the only one left behind. That same night Moses' perspective was changed too. He kept saying he needed to talk to his relatives in his hometown and see what they think first. Sister Lowe asked if they said no, would that change his mind at all. He thought about that for a while. The next time we met him he kept saying, "who cares what others say, if I know it's true I will follow, and I know it's true, so I'm going to follow". Sister Lowe was awesome. In one sitting we were able to address and resolve all of their concerns. And now they are all so excited! The church is true guys.
Thanks for all the prayers. I love you so much!
sister viehweg
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