Well, let me just say that this has been one of the most successful weeks of my mission! It was truly a week of miracles! It was amazing! It helps me to see that as missionaries we are truly called of God to preach his Gospel, and he will work miracles to bring about his purposes.
So, right before I begin, I would just like to say to Dad,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!
It's great to hear that everything went swimmingly with Caden's baptism, I wish that I was there! And I'm sorry that I couldn't send a talk, I just didn't get your e-mail in time!
So, Elder Trudo: he's a really legit guy. He has a really spontaneous personality, but he knows when to work and when to have fun. He spent 7 months in KL so his Malay isn't the best, but he is a great teacher and he teaches very simply. Ibans need simple teaching. If we use too many words, they just don't understand. The standard of learning and living here is so kurang (less). A lot of people are illiterate, which I can't even imagine.
Spirit Stride (for the next 5 paragraphs): So, we went to go visit M and her daughter, N. They live in Kampung Krokop. Unfortunately, they weren't home (as usual). So, we were turning back to go home when we meet a man named E. As it turns out, he is the not-yet-baptised husband of a member who lives in Kampung Krokop. He invited us to go and teach him.
So, we ended up learning that he is kuat minum (a strong drinker) and a heavy smoker. He smokes about 40 batangs (sticks) or 2 packs every day! We shared a scripture with him, his son M, and his really beautiful daughter K. He started crying when he said that he wanted to become a better father, and he asked us when he could be baptized the soonest. He REALLY wants to be baptized!
He wanted us to teach him the next night. We gave him a priesthood blessing and he was really grateful for that. He always walks us out of the Kampung to make sure that we are safe. He also hugs us too. The Ibans are really touchy people.
We also visited him the next night, at his request. We learned that he lessened his smoking to 10 batangs, and he didn't drink very much! It's really hard for him to stop. because even when he tells his friends that he's stopping, they just think that he is being prideful and that he's "too good" for them.
He was going to come to Church but then he had to go to Brunei for work, but we are REALLY excited to meet with him again! We found a member who was willing to give him a ride to Church too!
As for A, he was at the beach somewhere so he couldn't come to Church either. He sounded really sincere when I talked to him, and he promised us that he would come next week. He has also been reading and praying on his own, which was great!
Sadly enough, on Saturday, we had a lot planned but Elder Trudo got sick with food poisoning, but he's better now.
So, the next miracle! We had just left Kampung Pasir (on Friday) and we decided to go and visit a potential investigator named S. We showed up, and we could tell that he wasn't really as interested as we had hoped. So his mom, M, came out and started to talk to us. We introduced the Book of Mormon to her and she invited us in. When we went inside, we met her husband, D, and his younger brother, P. We taught the Restoration.
P loved it! He really wants to meet with us, but he is busy with work a lot! But as we taught the Spirit really softened all of their hearts, and I could see them changing. D said that he would sembahyang (worship) with us but he wouldn't join our Church. Elder Trudo and I are determined to change his mind! M also has a great interest in the book of Mormon as well!
Then, on the same day, we went to go visit the member who was going to give E a ride to Church and we started teaching him! His name is N. He's getting married soon, so Elder Trudo taught him about Eternal Families. He lives in Permai, in our zone but not in our area, but he is prepared.
So, here, I'll put in my testimony tidbit: God knows His children. He knows who is ready for the Gospel. Don't be afraid to share it. Follow the Spirit and don't be overbearing. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are willing to forgive and They are willing to help us in any way as long as we follow Them and do our best. They will put miracles in our paths if we let them. And other thing: celebrate the small miracles. Look for the "silver lining", and you will realize that God's hand is always in your life, even if you think that it may not be there, or if it isn't visible. We can be so narrow-minded, but keep an eternal perspective and know that the outcome will always be beyond our wildest hopes and dreams.
I love you all! STUDY to the scriptures, PRAY, and PARTICIPATE in Church!
Dengan sayang,
Elder Joshua H. Griffin
.JPG)
 |
| Teaching in a kampung with Elder Christiensen |
No comments:
Post a Comment