WEEK #43 - The Bird Strikes Back

Hai Everyone! Apa Khabar?

Transfer news was crazy!!! So, there are normally 6 sets of missionaries (6 Elders, 6 Sisters) in Miri. Now, there are a lot less missionaries than normal. There are are only 3 Elders and 4 Sisters! Me, Elder Bennion, and Elder Schindler are the only Elders in all of Miri! Elder Schindler is the Chinese elder.

Previously Elder Bennion and I were covering two branches, Miri 1 and 2. Now, We are covering Miri 1 and Miri 3 which is the Chinese branch! Soooooo guess who is going to learn a lot of Chinese?? That's right! A lot of crazy changes. There are two new missionaries coming into Miri. Their names are Sister Cordner and Sister Thackery. Both are from Alpine, Utah.

There used to be a Chinese Miri District and a Malay Miri District. Now, there is going to be one! I am still the District Leader, but will have one of the biggest districts in the mission! The topic for District Meeting was: Gain or Maintain: which one brings change? I used my dad's analogy of an escalator. Which is the path back to heaven? Someone who goes up an upwards escalator, or someone who goes up a downwards escalator?

Brothers and Sisters, the path of righteousness will always be uphill! Isn't that so cool? What great rewards come to those who live the gospel of Jesus Christ!

We then visited one of the Chinese Elders investigators, Sister Nanith. Yes, I talked about chicken Adobe was my favorite phillipino dish and how a wrestling move was named after it haha.

Here is a little secret. There was suppose to be another missionary coming into Miri. It should've been Elder Schindler Chinese companion. His LAST pday in the MTC, he was running with his hands behind his back (don't ask me why). He tripped, he fell, he broke his hand and shattered his knee. I have no clue how that happened, but it did! So that's why the 3 amigos are together haha.

You want to here another cool story? Last Sunday as we were heading to sacrament meeting, a chines, wayyy kingdom builder looking man walks into the church. He apparently was born in Sibu, went to Australia for 25 years (after having played for the Malaysian national basketball team). There he was 15 minutes away from the Sidney Temple. He moved back here (afterhaving served a mission in the Phillipines) and has been in Malaysia for 5 years now. He said he hasn't come to church for 10 years. He's been planning to come to church for years, but one day he decided to get up and come. It is cray how God works through small and simple means. We shared with Brother Ing and his wife the message of the Restoration. The Spirit was so clear and cut. When we asked Brother Ing's feelings about the First Vision (when Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ after having prayed to know which church was true), and he said, "having been a former missionary, the power of the message came flooding back into my life. I know this is true." It was really powerful. He asked for a Book of Mormon on Sunday and has been reading it since. He found his patriarchal blessing online and read that too. All from one simple thought to come to church? Powerful.

I've really learned a lot of life lessons. Most of them are spiritual. Others are unique. Like when it is 9:25pm and you have to ride your bike as fast as you can so you can make it back home 2 seconds before 9:30 (which is our curfew). My legs are looking a little bigger ;)

Remember those Saturdays where you did nothing but homework? I am grateful to be doing missionary work instead! (not that I don't love school of course). Something else happened on Saturday too. We were standing outside someone's house, waiting for them to unlock the gate, and I felt a rain drop on my head. When I looked up I saw a bird on a telephone pole. Coincidence? I think not. Yep. It was bird poop.

The first thing I said to my companions was, "Elders, I think I just got pooped on." Causual, right? I had a sheepish look when asking to use the bathroom to wash my hands haha.

Church was a little interesting!! We got to church at 9am and left at 3pm! The two branches allows us to have almost twice the amount of awesomeness!!

What does everyone want to know about Malaysia? I've been out here for quite some time, so I may know a few facts. Let me know!!

I hope everyone has a great day!! Have a wonderful week. Love you!

Love you all!

WEEK #42 - Lights Out Bikes Out

This week was sweeeeeet.

My mother gave me a challenge this week to really "qualify" for the gift of charity. Being charitable it is not just doing small acts of service but truly changing thoughts, showing initiated interest, and not assuming our way is better than theirs. I was really put to the test this week, but my faith increased in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and only through Him can I achieve this gift of charity! Thanks mom for the challenge, I encourage you all to find one person this next week to really have greater charity towards! I promise you will have greater understandingtanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and a greater ability to show forth an increase of love to all!

Me Elder Bennion doing comp study at the end of a river. 

District Meeting went really well. It was on revelation! The Miri 3 sisters gave that training. They asked two questions: How do you receive  revelation? How do you know when you've received revelation? Then they did a really cool activity. They said that this week was the last week of the transfer, and asked what our goals were. Some said to have 5 investigators at church on Sunday, others said to have 3 progressing investigators. Sister Bithell then prayed for the district specifically for each of these goals. Afterwards, we wrote down the impressions that came to our minds. It was really cool because that revelation came instantly! It was so fast! I know the Lord is at the head of this District, let alone the church!

This is a scripture in Isaiah talking about keeping the sabbath day holy - in MALAY!

I had to go to the doctors after district meeting to see if I had fungus on my toe (sorry everyone). Turns out I didn't. Just really bad ingrown toe nails! :D

Me showering fully clothes because everything was dirty anyway. 

On Wednesday the Zone Leaders had a challenge to the zone to invite 155 souls unto Christ! When we were contacting, if we invited them to learn it meant we invited them unto Christ! The challenge ended at 9:30 because that is when we need to get back home. Well, it was 9:24 and there were still 7 people to invite unto Christ. We went crazy! We biked around town and found anything that looked human. (Sometimes we tried with the dogs. They weren't too interested). At 9:25 we were able to hit the 150 mark! Talk about stressful!!! It was a cool experience because that goal was completely inspired and we really needed faith to achieve it! For the goals you make for yourself, have faith that God is working harder than you are on your righteous goals haha.

This week we made a greater effort to involve fruits into our diet! After weekly planning we pulled out a pineapple out of the fridge. It was delicious. Very hard to cut though...

the pineapple we ate for lunch

Also, we had some fresh coconuts!! We were going to sit at this bench, and a guy was sitting there cutting coconuts. When he saw us he immediedly started hacking at the coconuts and gave us both of them! We then got to cut down some coconuts from his tree. We used this really long shaft to do it. Now I understand why people would get hurt if a coconut fell on their head.

me drinking cocunut and chopping it down

We had a really cool miracle with one of our PIs named Louis. We kept calling and calling, but there was no response. So we decided to just delete his contact. While Elder Bennion was calling one of his PIs from Miri 1 area, we here in the background, "Elder!" Turns out it was Louis!! He said he had a new phone and wanted to meet. We met with him this week and he has a sincere desire to find the truth way!

Friday was the "English Fast Day." Every week we don't speak a word of English for one day! It is always tough, but really worth it too!

Breaking news everyone!! Last Saturday was the FIRST time on my mission where we had an actual planned service activity. Because there are no charity programs in East Malaysia, it is hard to do service. So, we normally go through members! We helped Brother Alexson build his house. He lives really really far away from the Church. It was fun to do service in Malaysia!

me on top of wood roof is building his house

After the service project we came back to Pujut (where we live). I looked inside my bag, and my bike lights were gone! I might've misplaced them or someone stole them. I kinda forgot about it for a day. One day we were riding past some shops and a shop owner flagged us down. We went to him, and he brought out a Book of Mormon and my bike lights!! It was definitely a Miracle! One of them was missing, but they have security cameras, so they will probably find it sometime. God watches out for us, even in the little things!

Me with bike on the bridge to Brother Alexsons house to do service

The Sabbath day is so important! The way we treat Sunday is an expression of our love for the Savior. Ask yourself, is what I'm doing helping my faith grow in Jesus Christ? If not, maybe turn off the phone, or go spend time with your family :) Preparing for the sacrament is also an important part of the Sabbath day. Here are 4 questions that you can ponder about before taking the sacrament. Wait and listen for revelation during that sacred time :)

How's everyone else's week doing? Don't be shy to share! Love ya'll, see you next week!

Love you all!

WEEK #41 - Familiar Faces

Hello everyone!!

Like I promised, here are some thoughts that I took from conference! Everything was so good.

Elder Neil L. Anderson:
-Surrendering your will to God's will is not a surrender, but a victory.
-‎ Stop putting question marks behind gospel truths and start putting exclamation points!

Elder David A. Bednar: He spoke about meekness. What is meekness? Meekness is righteous responsiveness, righteously and rapidly acting, and the ability of strong self-restraint to act and not to react.

Elder Dale G. Renlund:
-If you could have:
An increased understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, or faith? How can you have a desire to repent, a greater conversion, joy, family blessings, love for ancestors, power of discernment, protection against the adversary, and a greater assistance in tribulation?
He said, "If ye have prayed for any of these things, do family history!" Prayerfully consider the sacrifice you need to make to do family history. "

What a powerful quote!! I encourage all members and nonmembers to truly consider this inspired invitation. Family History is one of the greatest ways we can progress in the gospel. It is one of the greatest ways we can be protected from. The adversary. If we are stressed, sad, mad, doubting, lazy, grumpy, or wanting to give up, do family history. I testify of the blessings that come from sacrificing time to do the work of salvation.

President Eyring:
-It is not important that others see that we are serving, but that God knows you've served him.

Elder Massimo De Feo:
-If you are struggling to forgive, don't think about what others have done to you, but what the Lord has done for you.

Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson
-each person has unique talents that contribute to the growth of the church.


Last Monday we went to a place called the "Grand Ole Lady." There was a series of trails up and down the mountain of pure jungle. There was a bunch of hills and small cliffs we had to scale down with ropes. Very fun! Check out the pictures.

Remember that less active that we found named Brother Gaya? It turns out he has two unbaptized children! We were able to share the message of the Restoration and help his family become eternal. That monkey is still the best thing to watch!

After that lesson we were talking to the neighbors. They let us in to share a little about the Book of Mormon. In the middle of the lesson, another person walks in. In perfect English, he says, "Hello Elders, I am a member of the church from the KK Branch!" We were shocked! So he became the member present haha.

Last district meeting was probably one of the most spiritual meetings I've had!! I led a training on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We listened to a part of the talk called "Missionary work and  the Atonement." That talk by Elder Jeffery R  Holland is always so great! Afterwards, I did something from EFY (a church youth camp) that really changed my life. If you have some spare time right now, I would invite you to do this activity!

Close your eyes. Imagine the Savior walking into the room.

What would your first reaction be? Would you be excited? Scared? Guilty? Relieved?

If he came up to you, and looked you in the eyes, what would you say?

If he showed you the prints in his hands and feet, what would you do?

If Jesus Christ told you he loved you, what would you say back?

If he embraced you, how would you react?

If he asked how you have used his atonement, what would your response be?

Now he had left the room. What would you do differently?

Is what your living for, worth Christ dying for?

As we sincerely ponder these questions, the joy of Jesus Christ will be more evident in our lives.


On Thursday I got to go on exchanges! Guess where I went? SUNGAI PLAN!! Exchanges are where missionaries from different areas of the mission "switch" companions for a day. They receive training on how to be better missionaries, and get to see different styles of missionary work. I went with Elder Young Yen. He is from Samoa! It felt so weird being in one of my previous areas. It was great seeing all the members again! I'm just glad they still remembered me haha. I got to see Kavana and Cecelia again. They are doing wonderful!

We had a really cool miracle on Friday! So if you don't remember, the bus ride from Miri to Bintulu is 4 hours on roads under construction. When we first set off to Bintulu we contacted this family. They were heading to Bintulu to "jalan jalan," meaning for vacation. They were interested to learn but lived too far away from the church :( They said they had family close to the church in Miri, so they would give the pamphlet to their family. On Friday, we were teaching a less active named Laurence. During the middle of the lesson, guess who walks into the house? THAT SAME FAMILY!! They were relatives of Brother Laurence. I am glad the Lord gave both of us a little surprise!!

As you know, President Simmons is finishing his calling as mission president in June. His successor is already in the mission! Remember Elder Rowley? He is serving as a senior Couple now, and when President Simmons gets released he will then become the new mission president. Anyways, we get a call from him one day telling us that he found someone for us to teach! While Elder Rowley was in the post office, he contacted this guy. When we met with him, he was really amazing!! He is definitely a kingdom builder! A kingdom builder is someone who can really strengthen the church. He is from a local church in Malaysia called "SIB." He can speak Malay, Iban, Chinese, and perfect English! He had a lot of questions for us which is amazing! We helped him understand that the only way to know if our message is true, is to read the Book of Mormon and sincerely pray to God to know if it is true! Remember, when Joseph Smith went around to different pastors and mentors, friends and family, they couldn't give him a definite answer of what he should do. But the moment he prayed to God, his humble prayer was answered. So in your search for truth, ask God, not Google. :) When you want to receive an answer, go to your Father in Heaven through prayers, not through pastors. An answer from Heaven is all you need :)

I hope everyone has an amazing week! Tell your parents you love them! Cause I sure love mine!

Love you all!

WEEK #40 - Monkeys & Steep Climbs

Hey everyone!

It feels great to email you all again!

For District Meeting, we discussed the Doctrine of Christ. In the missionary training guide "Preach My Gospel," it says that "strengthening their understanding of the Doctrine of Christ will do more to increase their trust in you and to build their excitement to do missionary work than anything else you can do." What a powerful statement!

We were having a great lesson with Brother Kevin, our District Young Men's President, when the Chinese elders walked in! The Branch President for the Chinese branch married Brother Kevin's daughter. It was funny to randomly see them at an appointment!

During the mid-week, We were able to have 6 member presents for two lessons! A member present means that a member of the church joins in the lesson and shares their testimony with the investigator. It felt like we were leading an army of young men!

 Here's what we did for our day off. Very steep climbing and look at the shoes in the trees.

 My mom made us do this with rose thorns all the time when I was little

We were contacting one day when we saw an opportunity to serve someone. They were carrying something from the back of their car. We offered a helping hand and carried the stuff with them to their house, when we introduced ourselves, he said, "I am a member of your church!" We entered his room and there was the Book of Mormon, pictures of the Temple, and his baptism booklet. He hadnt come to church in a while, and has some unbaptized members of his family! We were able to teach his friend on the spot and have a wonderful lesson. To add to it all, he had a pet monkey! Great blessings come through hard work and faith!

This past general conference was one of the greatest conferences yet! Semiannually, members of the church gather together to hear the words of the leaders of the Church. The conference is held in Salt Lake City and is broadcasted to the entire world! The prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, His Apostles, and other leaders of the Church (both male and female) give speeches. This speeches do not have an assigned topic, so all are based off of revelation! I will do a summary of my favorite talks next week, but here is a quote that I liked by Elder Lyn G. Robbins: "Mistakes are a way of life. Success is going from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm. Repentance is not going from failure to failure, but growing from failure to failure."

Very profound! Repentance is a way of change. For each sin there is a change to grow.

So sorry, not a lot of time, but know that I am grateful for you all!!

See you next week!

Love you all!