LOCATION: Sungai Plan, East Malaysia (near Bintulu)
Hello Hello everyone!!
What a week. After emailing last week we got to deep clean the house!! This is where I began to use my Dad's cleaning skills and my mom's cheerful attitude to accomplish the 6 hours of cleaning! I am now (more than ever) grateful for my parent's willingness to keep the house clean, in order for the Spirit to dwell in our home! I truly believe if we clean our lives up, both spiritually and physically, the Lord can do wonders among us! So siblings, clean your room. Please and thank you :)
"32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."
So many times we hear people say that we are not perfect. But the truth is...we ARE perfect, with Christ! If we come unto Christ, meaning we strive to follow Him and His teachings, we will be perfected in Him!
People in Malaysia live in Long Houses. Go look it up it's so cool! The house is around 150 feet wide, with 50 or so rooms for people. The long house has a ginormous porch for all the villagers to sit on. So cool! (see picture)
Happy belated birthday to my awesome brother Kyler!! He headed to BYU this week and will be successful were ever he is! Love you brother, thank you for the example you have set for me and everyone else!
On Thursday, I had a good personal study! At the beginning of each day, we are given 3 hours to study: 1 hour of personal, 1 hour of companionship study (with the missionary assigned to you), and 1 hour of language study! Morning studies are a time for us to receive revelation and guidance for ourselves but more importantly our investigators!
In the Book of Mormon we learn in chapter 8 of 1 Nephi about Lehi's vision. I mentioned Lehi's vision in my previous email, and how there is a tree called the tree of life, representing the love of God. There is an iron rod that leads to the tree of life, representing the word of God! If we continually read the scriptures and live the gospel, we can experience the fruits of God's love for us. Lehi also accounted in His vision that there "arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lost their way, that they wandered off and were lost." The midst of darkness represent satan's temptations. He tempted the people trying to get the the tree of life, and they were lost!
Now imagine this: How funny would it be to see someone trying to put out a bonfire with a mister? The mist could never quench the flames! So never let satan's mist of temptations quench the fire of your faith! Always stay strong and faithful :)
On Saturday, we went to visit a recent convert in our area! Their house was a 20 minute bike ride from ours. On the way over, I looked behind me to see if my companion was still there. When I turned back around there was a huge mud puddle to greet me. Everything got splashed, including my favorite tie! :( But it was a good laugh for the both of us!
The member pretty much lives in a shack! There is no water and no running electricity. We sat in the dark with a flashlight in the center. Spooky but truly an element in Malaysian culture!
On Sunday, we had fast and testimony meeting! Every month our church sets apart a church service for testimonies! Anyone from the congregation can come up to the front and share their beliefs and what they know to be true! I was able to go up and bear my testimony in Malay! Really powerful and spiritual! Just as a side note, EVERYONE loves to tease! One Sister said her name was Sister Rose, because mine was La-Rose. All the youth keep calling me "orang putih" (white person). I try by best to tease back with the phrases I know in Malay, and they just "kacow" (tease) me more. I love it haha!!
I wish you all a great week! I wish I could tell you all the stories and send all the pictures, but I will figure out a system sooner than later!
gembira untuk tulis kepada kamu semua lagi! (Happy to write to you all again!)
Love, Elder McKayd LaRose
ADDITIONS by the MOM:
“People can’t understand me and I can’t understand them
because they talk too fast. They also all speak a language called Ibon, which
has nothing to do with Malay, so that is fun! It’ humbling, but I really want
to just have a good mission.”
"Computers are just really really really really reallllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I can go to the church and have the pictures upload for like a week hahahaha. It is so bad. I wish I could do a click and drop."
When asked what candy/treats McKayd wanted sent to him he said, "I want all the preservable American treats and snacks you could ever imagine hahaha. They have NOTHING here!! So the almond vanilla nature valley granola bars, twix and reeces and I DON'T KNOW I will think of more! haha"
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