So, I will begin in chronological order. So, first of all, Elder Schuetz and I were getting ready to leave Sabah. He was going to Sibu, Sarawak. I'm in Ipoh, West Malaysia. So, we parked our bikes at a bus stop because we were visiting the First Counselor in the District Presidency, and his wife. We didn't have time to get our bikes in order to get home in time, and Elder Schuetz's bike had a flat tire, so we left the bikes at a bus stop, in plain sight. Bad idea. So we go back the next day, and our bikes are gone. Somebody stole our bikes! They literally cut through the chains to get to our bikes and then they took our helmets and our bikes. So, I was bike-less in Ipoh, which is mainly a biking area. I have another one now--really old, hand-me-down, but I'm very very grateful for it. Some old Elder left it behind for this situation. So, now I will tell you how I traveled to Ipoh.
So, I had a flight at 9:55 AM. Elder Schuetz's flight was at 6:45 AM, so we both went solo. It was actually scary--I didn't want to get lost and end up somewhere weird and I had no cell phone, so I just had to "bite the bullet" and trust that the Lord would help me get to Ipoh. So I took a 2 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, then after that I took a train to place called KL Central. There, I took another train for two hours to get to Ipoh, and that was just a hassle--it was hard to understand the people's bad English and terrible accents. I actually prefer Malay because I can understand them when they speak it and it's just easier for both of us. So, at the train station, I met Sister Chris, the woman who gives the missionaries TONS of food (and I'm not joking, I already have a LOT from her), picked me up, and then I met Elder Snyder. We sent to go visit a couple of Hindus-turned-Mormon (new converts), named Ester and Manjit. They are so cool and so good!
The branch here in Ipoh is so strong and amazing, and so are all of our investigators! This area is already better than KK! Zac, Lauren, Kamryn, Caden, and Cooper, y'all listen up, ya hear? GO ON A MISSION NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!!! IT IS THE BEST AND IT WILL HELP YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Elder Schuetz tried to go to Sibu, but they kicked him back to KK because of his Passport. So we are going to to go Indonesia, both of us, and then we'll come back to our respective areas.
So, I arrived at Ipoh, and right away, Sister C takes us to this cool Chinese restuarant. Most of the people in Ipoh are either Chinese or Indian, so there's a lot of "Waaah" and head-bobbing. So, at the table next to us, there's these teenagers celebrating something, and they're all drinking their beer and laughing and doing "cheers" in Cantonese (that's a big language here, apart from English; very little Malay....). So then they come over to me and Elder Snyder and they're like, "Hey, white guys, come drink with us! Come on, come drink!" And me and Elder Snyder are just like, "No, we don't drink." And they kept on pestering us but eventually they left us alone. So then this lady brings in a cake an they start singing happy birthday. Then one of them says, "Hey, white guys, the birthday boy wants a picture with you!" (Which actually happened in Sabah; white people are really famous in Malaysia). So we get up to go take the picture and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, they pull up this poster that says: "WELCOME TO IPOH ELDER GRIFFIN!" Dang, they got me so good! Then they sang, "Welcome to Ipoh" to the tune of Happy Birthday. So Sister C and Elder Snyder orchestrated this whole prank, and it was so good! The teens were the youth of the ward, they weren't really drinking, and then we all ate together! It was so much fun!
So, now..... INVESTIGATORS
BJ: He used to be a Sniper for the Malaysian army. He would go out in the jungle and hunt down people with his German Shepard legend has it that he can live a week without food, and that he is a really good sniper. He was also an Executioner--he would hang people at the gallows, and he had to wear one of those black masks so people couldn't see his face. But he's really good! He can recognize the Spirit, like when he came to Church yesterday. So, the first time I met him, we drove up to his house on our bikes, and he is BLARING oldies music. We walk up to his gate, and he says, "Hey, my bros saya!" So he lets us in and we teach about the Restoration. He kept on saying, "Hey baby...yeah baby..." Stuff like that! haha he is hilarious! He was like "you are like my children. And it's a rough road, it's a rough road, baby, so if you need a place to stay, you can sleep upstairs." And he rolls his r's a lot, so repeat that like in Blackjack Joe-accent! He is so cool! And he also said "Get me baptized before you leave, baby," So he's pretty much really legit!
His wife, Barbara, is also really cool.
So, more investigators--
N.- He is an Indian. This is how the Lord led us to him: we were trying to find people to contact and to give a Book of Mormon to. President Mains wants us to give out a Book of Mormon a day, because the Book of Mormon in Malay is finally available! Literally, Praise the Lord! So we were trying to find people, we had no success at all for a few hours, so we thought, Well, let's just go to a member's house. We were going to visit them anyways tonight. So we did, and the door is open but nobody is home. So Elder Snyder says, "I remember meeting a guy around here, named Nantha. He's cool, but him and his wife got into a fight when I first met him, and it got really awkward....so I left." So I said, "Boleh" (Can) and we went. So, pretty much, here's Nantha's story: His family is falling apart. His wife and kids don't respect him, he's working ALL the time, trying to support them, he's overwhelmed with grief and with sadness, and he had been praying for help, and so God sent us! So, due to my previous experiences, I connected with him really well, and we taught him about the Atonement and Repentance, how it takes away grief.
Then, I gave him a blessing of comfort, and after the blessing he said, "Elders, thank you so much. My heart doesn't hurt anymore--I feel...relief!" And it was great. He just needed to express his frustrations. So I told him to pray to God and to ask for help and strength and for forgiveness, and also to express his love to his wife and kids. So I hope that it will help. But it was really good. He had these HUGE dogs that were freaking out when we pulled up, and when we left, they were just quiet! It was totally the Spirit!
So, yeah...we have some more, but I haven't met them yet... Yoges, Xavier, and his mom. Did I mention that we teach English on Fridays?
Thank you all so much for the picture! Everybody looks so good, and the little kids are all growing up WAY too fast! It isn't fair-bah! Oh well, apa boleh buat, kan? (What can you do, right?) Speaking of little kids, I'm sending a picture of a boy named Dasheen. He's Indian, two years old, and he reminds me exactly of Cooper, especially his personality! And I'm also sending some other pictures. I realized that I forgot to send the picture of the Spider, so I'll send that too!
When does Tyson get home (what date)? How is everybody? Any new and exciting news?
Okay, time to answer your questions. So, to go on really long trips like Gunung Kinabalu and The Tip of Borneo, we have a bus guy, named Stanley. It's 50 per day per person, which is really cheap. So, it's a lot of fun, and it was great! And, no, there are no new missionaries going into KK. The President it really focusing on building up the big branches so that we can have stakes, which is a really smart idea, actually. And it was me, Elder Schuetz, Sister Caballa, and Sister Christiansen which had to leave--but I hope that I can go back to Sabah someday. I'm not sure yet.... Ipoh....I'm not sure about the size, but the traffic is actually better here. I feel a lot safer--I don't have buses almost grazing me when I ride by bike now! Hooray!
And I am feeling happy and healthy and safe, so no worries! Well, that's all I have this week, it's way fun here! I love you all and I can't wait for General Conference! Well, that's my week! I love you all! Bye!
Dengan ikhlas,
Elder Joshua H. Griffin
P.S. My new mailing address:
1-B-2 Ascot Jalan Raja,
Dihilir Prima Ipoh Condo.,
Ipoh, Perak, West Malaysia
30350
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