November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

This gurrrrl gots so much to be thankful for; number one item: INDOOR PLUMBING. I am reminded time and time again here in Miri, how thankful I am for a toilet, instead of a missing board plank on the floor. #2 A family that rocks. That's you guyzzzz. Thanks a million for the letters. (I hope your feelings aren't hurt that you aren't #1 on my list, but think about it...a toilet...that's hugely important, necessary, vital to my happiness...

So what y'all eat for thanksgiving? DidKristin's squeeze make it home with her for the festivities? I hear britt brent lisa max and MYSELF will not be there. That's sad. I'm sure no seat will be missed as much as my own....

This is the first year I have ever spent Thanksgiving at the beach! What a miracle of a day. We celebrated on Wednesday because that is our P-Day. We assigned out food and, despite my worries, the Elders actually pulled through on their assignments. One house of 4 elders BBQ'd chicken there at the beach, the other house of 4 brought mashed potatoes and gravy that was divine, the senior sisters brought soda, yams, and some cut up pinapple, watermelon, grapes, papaya, oranges, etc. in a big bowl and Sister wong and I made APPLE PIES. I don't want to brag but they were fantastic pies. We looked everywhere for pumpkin or canned pumpkin to make pie but couldn't find it. Oh well, the apples were a success. We spent all afternoon playing beach volleyball, futsol (wich is pretty much soccer), and catching crabs (which were taking over our beach). All in all it was a fantastic day. The best part was we biked about an hour to and back from the beach so we were able to work off the feast a little bit. I haven't showerd yet, we came to email straight from the beach and I still have that sticky salty feeling on my skin. I love that. There at the beach it was hot, but the wind was blowing so it made it quite nice. We had a blast. I love the missionaries I am serving with in this area. Never have I ever laughed so hard; that's a lie, I pretty much laugh at everything. we have a good time.

We brought with us one of our investigators named Josua. Josua is awesome. We use to teach him and his wife but she recently ran off with another guy. Sad story. Josua has been really, I mean REALLY depressed lately. He is only 20 years old. Yesterday we found him sitting at a little food stall. We walked up behind him and I saw a glass of clear liquid sitting in the middle of the table and a white stick hanging out of his mouth. I thought, "oh great, he is so depressed, he is smoking and drinking is sorrows away," Boy was I wrong. We sat down at the table and he pulled a green sucker out of his mouth and took a sip of his ice water. I was so releaved. He is a good kid. It was about 3:00pm and Josua said he had been sitting there since morning just drinking water, eating suckers and watching people. We convinced him to follow us to our appointments that day to give him something to do. He followed us to three appts and he loved it. At each house they fed us juice and biscuits, like they always do, and Josua thought it was the coolest thing. We invited him to the beach today with us to help him get out of his depression. The senior sisters picked him up and brought him in their car. When they came to our apartment to pick up the food Josua went over to the Elder's apartment and chilled with them as we finished getting things ready and into the car. Elder Evansan said Josua kept telling them how happy he is. He told the Elders he followed us "yesterday and got fed tonz of crackers and juice and met so many nice people, and has never had to go to the bathroom more in his life and he was really really happy!" Hearing that makes me pumped. When we invited him to the beach today he was so excited. It worked out nice to have him there because four of the Elders are native so he didn't feel threatened being around a bunch of white people. But all us white people could still talk with him anyway. Josua was off the walls, he acts like a 12 year old its so funny. He kept climbing all the coconut trees and bringing down coconuts. He would crack them and make us all drink the juice, over and over again. The coconuts weren't ripe so the juice was pretty sick.

As we walked along the beach the Elders would run after all the tiny crabs trying to catch them. They looked hysterical. The crabs were so small you couldn't see them so it just looked like the Elders were running around in circles and diving at the sand randomly. Those little crabs were FAST. Then the Elders started throwing them at me; that was not fun at all....aww it was a great day.
Josua is getting baptized in 3 weeks.

I'm excited this weekend because Karen and her little girl Teo are getting baptized. I don't think I have written too much about Karen, which is too bad because she is amazing. She has a 9, 7, 6, and 3 year old, and a husband that is the scum of the Earth. I probably shouldn't write that...but he is. They are by far the poorest family I have met here. They have nothing, the husband wont work. Karen goes dumpster diving each night at the restaurants and malls to find food for her kids. The husband is a drug addict and is never home, he only comes back when he doesn't have money; which is rediculous because Karen doesn't have any money either. Karen can't talk either. Well, she can talk but it sounds like someone who has had a stroke; very very difficult to understand. When we first met her I couldn't understand her at all, but amazingly her kids understood every word. The little nine year old girl would translate what her mom said to us. Little bit by little bit though, I have gotten to the point where I can understand most of what she says. She is a hysterical women. And she does everything for her kids. This is so rare among parents here, so many parents view their children as an annoyance. A few weeks ago Sister Lowe came with us to teach Karen and her kids. Sister Lowe decided she wanted to help them out a bit and went a bought enough rice and other essential foods to last those little kids months. We went back a week later and it was all gone. Karen said her husband ate it all. She says he eats five times a day and eats A LOT. I couldn't believe it. He has these starving little kids and he eats all their food. The baby still drinks a bottle and you know what they put in it? Water and sweet and condensed milk. Ya that baby's teeth are all rotted out. The other day the baby was crying because she didn't have a bottle, Karen said her husband had used all the baby's milk for his coffee. She told him not to because they baby would cry if she didn't have a bottle but he just hit her. I hate that man, that's not very Chirst-like of me. Karen says he won't sign the divorce papers, for the life of me I don't know why not.

Anyway, we'll just forget about him. Karen and her daughter are getting baptized this saturday!! Teo is the top student in her class, which is really amazing since she comes from and incredibly disfunctional home. She is nine years old and she already has a job. Now that school is out until next year she works at a little food shop for 10 ringgit a day. She also watches all her younger siblings when her mom goes out to find food. It's incredible. She is a really smart girl. I am so happy because the Church has made such a difference in Karen's life. Besides her children, it's one of the few sources of happiness she has. She's quite the women.

I like going to their house because they have a pet monkey we play with, it's cute. They say at night crocodiles come under their house (their house is on stilts over the river) but we have yet to go their at night. I would be a little scared....The kids shower in that river! Which is nast because everyone's plumbing and waste dump into that river. Teo said one morning she couldn't shower before school because their were crocks in the water. AND THE MOM LEAVES THESE KIDS HOME ALONE! it's insane.

We have so much. I have so much. I'm so so so so so so so grateful for the stuff, the endless amount of stuff I have.

I'm incredible grateful for the things that happened in my life to get me on a mission. At the time, I thought everything wasn't working out at all! But now I realize everything wasn't working out the way I wanted, it was working out the way Heavenly Father wanted. Throughout college if things would have gone according to my plan, there is no way I would be on a mission in Malaysia right now. It is so cool to look back and see how Heavenly Father has guided me to here, to Miri.

There is a new District movie out. The District, is a training movie for missionaries. They followed a district of missionaries in California with cameras and filmed what they did everyday. In the DVD they also have interviews and commentary throughout, done by the missionaries. There is one quote by one of the Elders that I absolutely love. I believed they were filming either early in the morning or late at night because he looked so tired. He quite tiredly said, "I don't know why I'm so happy.... because I am so tired aaaaallll the time". Amen to that. The mission is the best best best stuff.

I love you guys

sis v

November 16, 2010

Hey there fam.

First things first, before I forget. Macsen! I met a boy with your name. I know you thought you were the only one but not true my friend. Although he spells it Maxson, it is still very much the same, sounds the same. When he told me his name I had them repeat it a couple times. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't and unfortunately I don't think we will be going back to that home any time soon :-).

Dad, I do remember that dog experience in Tijuana. That was hysterical. May I just say that the other day I saw something that totally one-upped it. I don't even know how to describe it....I'm not going to discribe it, but don't worry, I got pictures. Dogs are disgusting.

I bet the days are getting shorter at home now.

I'm just sitting here, I don't know what to write and the clock is ticking. Last week we found 9 new investigators that said we could come back and teach them. This week none of them wanted anymore. Love it when that happens.

We went hunting for souls in my favorite part of our area, Padang Kerbau. It is so so so pretty, I love just riding around out there. Last week we scouted out a place we had not been before and decided to go check it out yesterday. Much to my disappointment they were all chinese homes. It was hysterical because I would talk to them in Malay but they would also talk to Sister Wong in Chinese, and why wouldn't they? she's chinese! Poor Sister Wong would just look at me and say, "they're talking to me in chinese again what do I say, I don't understand." It got to the point where she would stand a little ways off if they were chinese just to avoid the whole mix-up. It makes me laugh every time someone talks to her in Chinese, but I fear it is at her expense. We are going to have to send the Chinese Elders back to that area, I'm sure they would have a bit of success. We were a little dissapointed but finally, when we came to the end of a very long farming road, we found a cluster of Iban shacks. sing it: ''Miracles happen..." We came up to the first shack and an enormous Iban lady walked out. I'll admit her person and the look on her face was a little terrifying. But we started talking to her, she softened, invited us in, like the Ibans always do, and then went on to invite her two neighbors and all of their kids over. It was great. They are excited for us to come back, at least they seemed like they were. We always carry the game, "Pick up Sticks" in our bag to play with families who have a lot of kids. I think the game is quite boring but the people here loved it. We took out the game and played with them fo a while. Every time the huge lady moved a stick on accident she would let out a huge belly laugh. Oh man it was so funny, I have no idea why she was laughing so hard. There was a shoulder-high book case jammed packed with empty alcohol bottles in front of her shack, that should be a fun issue to address when the time comes....

After we left her shack and continued down the road we came upon another home that looked abandoned. It was in the middle of nowhere. We looked at the door for clues as to what kind of people lived there. People here always hang religious peices on their doors or above their doors, whether its muslim, buddha, taoist, christian, hindu, iban traditional, ugama lama etc. The Chinese always have something bright and usually red on their door. On this house we saw something brightly colored hanging on the wall near the door and assumed it was Chinese. We were standing pretty far away on the road though so we thought we should bike in closer for a better look. It turned out to be a bag of laundry soap hanging there. So much for assumptions, glad we went closer.

The lady that lived there had been taught by Elders some time ago. She said she had been to the 'latter day church" once before. We talked to her for awhile and found out already had a book of mormon. We asked her if she would allow us to come back and continue teaching her. She replied, "but sisters how? I already entered the latter day church..." My thoughts were, A. she went once and thinks she entered and B. ITS THE SAME! I thought we had made that clear but I guess not. We assured her it was the same church, she seemed pleased, we're going back on Thursday.

People are so funny, sometimes we teach people only once and they start telling people they are a part of our religion. We met one lady once and taught, she wasn't interested so we havent' gone back yet. But the elders, a few weeks later, met someone who said she was part of our church and that the sisters taught her. It was the same lady! We taught her, she said she didn't want, and then she goes off telling people this is her church. How does that work? I guess we should go back and try again, since she's claiming mormonism now.

We had a good experience with somes guys named Tia and Juana (pronounced Jonah) last night. We have taught them before but they both went back to Kampung for about a month and haven't seen them in awhile. They both got back yesterday so we went to see them and teach. Juana was on date to be baptized before he left but he was gone so long we had to change his date. He just picked up and left without warning, happens all the time. So last night, after we taught again the Restoration we reminded Juana that he was already on date to be baptized but we needed to pick a new date. He was still wanted to be baptized but was shy to be baptized alone. Tia was there, and previously when we taught him we invited him to be baptized so many times but every time he said he wasn't ready yet. After Juana expressed his concern Sister Wong turned to Tia and asked, "hey Tia, you wanna be baptized the same day as Juana?" Kind of have jokingly have not. I totally expected him to say he wasn't ready yet, like he always did before. But instantly without hesitation he replied, "boleh (can)" very seriously. My thoughts were, "wait what? are you sure?" Luckily i didn't voice them. I couldn't be more thrilled, I don't know what changed but I guess while he was back at Kampung he started thinking about baptism more seriously.

Amidst all the frustration miracles happen.

Today we are going over the the Senior sisters home with a member to learn how to make delicious curry! I'm so excited. I've been wanting to learn how to make this stuff for over a year now. It's gonna be boss.

I love you all, happy thanksgiving, I grateful for you!! And I'm grateful to be here.

loves,

sis v

November 9, 2010

Sup fam,

I'm feeling better thank you very much, all except for a stupid cough that doesn't want to go away. It's made teaching really fun because everytime I open my mouth I have cough attacks. Sister Wong has really had to step up this week, becuase often I can't get a word out. She's done beautifully.

Dad, I think I may have given you a false sens of Miri from all the pictures I have been sending. Miri is indeed a town that is quite modern, it even has a couple malls. But then you turn a corner and it's poverty. The Malays and Chinese are usually the wealthy ones that live in the houses and on actual streets; but we don't teach them. So, we spend our time in the shacks by the river with the Ibans, Kenyahs, Kelabit, and Kayans. Mostly the Ibans though. On P-days we often spend time in the city, and the place we live is in the more modern part of the city. It's really is a crazy city, absolutely zero city planning. We will be biking down a road of shops and all of the sudden there is a beautiful chinese home, and then we turn the corner and there are little shacks with no plumbing or electricity. I guess I only take pictures of the shacks and sticks because, A that's where we spend our days, and B that's what's foreign to me.

I live in a place called Jinhold Apartments, Lot 2160 Jalan Bulatan, Block 4, MCLD, Taman Piasau Indah, 98000 Miri, Sarawak. Google Earth your heart out dad. We live about 25 minutes from the airport. And that town you found, KUCHING, is the captial of Sarawak. Kuching means "cat" in Malay, which is fitting because cats are everywhere here. They are taking over. I'm told in the city of Kuching they have huge statues of cats...wierd. I believe we will be going there next month for the 3rd session of that big training. Ugh cats, they are gross, and dogs too. If there is anything my mission has taught me it is to hate animals... They are so disgusting. Is there such thing as dogs with hair? I forget becuase all the dog's hair is scratched off from itching the fleas. Just kidding...but seriously.

This week has been ok. There is always a hi-low after baptisms because you get the feeling of having to start over. They train us over and over again on how to avoid the "tidal wave" (having a ton of baptisms and then nothing), but it's still hard to avoid. We still have a few planned for the end of the month, but we are having to be more and more creative on finding ways to find new investigators.

The next day we went back and visited Matthew, the lonely man, and taught him about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. He was waiting for us on his porch, dressed up very nice. The day before, when we met him he was in grungy grass stained clothes trying to fix a weed wacker. He had cleaned up his house, had soft music playing, juice made and ready to drink (with ice! what a delicacy), biscuits and he had bought candles for light (he doesn't have electricity). He said, "I've been waiting for you guys" Ya we noticed, the place looks amazing and you've actually showered. He said he had been waiting a couple hours. THis guy seriously needs company. His wife and 2 kids are back at Kampung. We had a good lesson and talked with him for a while. He said he would read and we are meeting him again in a few days. He is super super strong catholic, so I'm kind of nervous about that but we will see how it goes.

I have a lot to learn when it comes to missionary work, man oh man
love you all,

sister viehweg