Transfers! FHE! Family History!

This has been a most interesting week for transfers. To start with, it's not even transfer week, but there are about 10 missionaries going home so they can start school soon. There are no new missionaries coming in for another two weeks . . . the normal transfer week.

Elders P (DL) and C (ZL) were two from our zone that went home. This left Elders S (ZL) and Y without companions. Elders S and Y are now companions for two weeks. The other ZL is Elder H in Mukah until he goes home in two weeks. Elder S (Chinese Elder) is now the DL here in Sibu. So we now have one Malay set of missionaries covering two Malay speaking branches for the next two weeks and one Chinese set caring for the Chinese branch. We are hoping that the next transfer will give us at least one more set of Malay speaking Elders. We really need them here.

Monday night we had FHE with members of Branch 1. It was also final good-bye to Elder C. He gave a great lesson on tithing. There were a few members at FHE who needed to hear what was said.

Members of the Branch 1 - Brother Alok's Family and Sister Mina

Brother Alok, Brother Steven, Elder S, and Sister Berbara

Today was Elder S's first district meeting. I really enjoyed his training. We had the usual role playing, and then he got into the training. He had us each draw a picture of one of our favorite scripture stories. After which we shared and had to guess first what story was depicted by our picture and then explain why the story meant something to us and how it relates to the lessons in Preach My Gospel. The discussions were meaningful as we related each story, its meaning, and how it related to lessons in Preach My Gospel. None of us had the same story. The stories included the the Jaredites crossing the ocean in their barges, the prodigal son, Joshua at the battle of Jericho, the three Nephites and their desires to serve, Christ blessing the little children in 3 Nephi, and King Benjamin preaching his final sermon. With a little modification, this would be a great activity for Family Home Evening.

After district meeting, the six of us went to lunch at a little open air place that's been recently discovered by the missionaries. The food is good and inexpensive. The Chinese food there is very good. No American or Western food served there at all.

Elder S enjoying his food. Elder S? I don't know how I caught that expression!

Elder S, Elder Y, Elder S, and Elder E

Elder and Sister Hammer, a senior couple from Kuching who are over Family History, arrived Thursday evening. Elder and Sister Mills picked them up and drove them directly to Sibu Jaya where they presented an introduction to Family History. The Mills drove the Hammers back to our place that night. The Hammers spent the night with us (Friday night, too). Friday evening they ran concurrent presentations in Sibu; one for the Chinese Branch, the other for the two Malay speaking branches. Another presentation was made Saturday afternoon in Malay before the Hammers took off for Mukah for the presentation on this tour. They will be back with us Monday before flying back to Kuching in the afternoon.

The presentations went very well. Over 50 people were introduced to the Family History program. Most of them got registered on familysearch.org so they could get started getting their parents and grandparents information recorded. They were all eager to start. Most of them have smart phones so they downloaded the two apps that the Church has for Family Search. We helped in the registration process.

In getting one sister registered, we discovered that the records had her grandfather still living. This couldn't be because they had had his temple work done. After researching we found that her grandfather had been entered twice. Once with the wrong birth date and still living; the other with the correct information from which the temple work had been done. We're in the process of deleting the "living" records since they are not correct..

We took the Hammers to the Chinese Tiger Temple. If you missed the photos before, here are some fresh ones.

The entrance to the tiger temple

Burning incense

I guess you call these guys TNMT . . . 

No, not teenage ninja mutant turtles. Don't be silly.

More like teenage ninja mutant tigers

This one's relaxing.

Nice kitty, kitty!

This guy looks like he just stubbed his toe!

This just found his prized marble!

Taking his pet cat out for a walk

These are temporary workers quarters. They're usually set up where construction is happening, such as the  buildings in the background. Can you see the rooster in the chicken coop in lower center of the picture?

It's been a pretty busy weekend. Sister Bodell spoke in Sacrament meeting in Branch 1. Yes, in Malay. She did a great job! Everyone was listening (That's a little unusual right there!). Here topic was based on Elder Nelson's conference talk on making the Sabbath a delight. She began her talk with a story (That's unusual here, too.). Her talk was well-received, and we had great attendance today, including some from Monday's Family Home Evening and several investigators.

A little later the Branch 1 president had me come into his office. I now have a calling in Branch 1. I'll keep it under wraps until I'm sustained next Sunday. Things could change between now and then. Unless things change between now and then I will be helping out on the computer.

A quick addition here . . . Our daughter, Amanda, was able to attend Elder Chang's homecoming on Sunday. Here are a few photos she shared with us this.

Our daughter, Amanda, granddaughter, Rylee, and Elder L

What a great group!

Elder Chang was born of goodly parents.

Typical missionary seating!

Definitely a hard habit to break!

It has been such a blessing to work with these young missionaries. They sacrifice so much to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with other people in strange lands with strange languages. They do it so well. They do it because they know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's organized church on the earth. We have a living prophet and apostles just as Christ did in His Church during his time. That church was taken from the earth when the ancient apostles were killed. It had to be restored. That was done through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Along with these wonderful missionaries, I add my testimony that I know that things are true. What a blessing it is to have a living prophet to guide us in these latter-days!

Zone Conference, Singapore, and More Baptisms

ZONE CONFERENCE: I should explain that Zone Conference is divided into three sessions. There are two zones in the Singapore Mission . . . East and West Malaysia. The missionaries from each zone meet separately. One zone meets on Tuesday, the other on Thursday. There is also a special session for senior couples on Wednesdays. Sibu is in the East Malaysian Zone.

A pre-zone activity is held the night before each zone conference. Senior couples usually plan and carry out these activities. We took our turn this conference. Elder and Sister Hadley helped us do the pre-zone activity this time. We arrived in Singapore Monday afternoon so we could meet with the Hadleys and get prepared for the the activity that evening for the West Malaysia Zone.

It should come as no surprise that we presented a music conducting workshop. We have seen Elders and Sisters conduct the music during zone conferences since we've been here. Many of them need to be taught the basics, which is what we did. It turned out very well. We made it fun and informative. The missionaries had a good time. We repeated the activity for the East Malaysia Zone Wednesday evening.

Wednesday we had a wonderful Senior Couples session of Zone Conference. We have a new mission president so the session was conducted differently than the previous Zone Conferences. President and Sister Simmons held a council meeting with us. We counseled together, sharing what our individual responsibilities are and ideas to help the branches with which we work. It was a great meeting. President and Sister Simmons are awesome and want input from the senior couples.

President and Sister Simmons introduced a new theme for the mission. It's taken from Doctrine and Covenants 39:13.

Thou are called to labor in my vineyard, and to buildup my church, and to bring forth Zion, that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish.

Sister Simmons created bookmarks for all the missionaries. It has a place to write in our names so that the scripture becomes personal to us.

Our Zone Conference was very spiritual and motivating. We are grateful that we can attend these meetings and be spiritually fed.

We are also grateful that we have the opportunity to travel out of Sibu periodically and do a little sightseeing, shopping, and in general, some good ol' fashioned R&R. (Rest and Relaxation).

While in Singapore we went to the Gardens by the Bay again and also went on the Singapore Flyer.  It's always nice to eat American food, too. When not fed during the conference, we ate at The Outback, Burger King, McDonald's, and Subway. We also ate a couple of places that were very good as well.

Here are some pictures from our week:

Missionaries:

Elder G and Elder Bodell
Elder G's father is the branch president of Sibu 1

Elder C with Elder and Sister Bodell
We are going to miss him. Elder C flies home this coming week!

Elder H with Elder and Sister Bodell.
Elder H will be returning home soon to Santa Clara, Utah

The missionaries of East Malaysia

 Preach My Gospel Jenga:

Elder P

Elder C

Team Two gets this point!

I'm sorry, but I didn't catch this sister's name

Elder T

Garden by the Sea:

Giant ant sculpture

There were a dozen "stamps" on display, each with a different story

Another stamp; another story, Sisters Hammer and Bodell

Got a hankering for a new job?

I hope you're not afraid of heights!

There were many of these wooden sculptures that were part of the stamps displays.

3D Pictures were on display throughout the gardens

Another wooden sculpture

The waterfall in the Cloud Dome is beautiful!

Can you see the mist? This is on the climb up inside the Cloud Dome.

Awesome flowers throughout

Driftwood sculptures

A large driftwood sculpture

The Singapore Flyer: This thing is pretty high. It's supposed to be the tallest "ferris wheel" in the world. Each compartment can hold up to 20 people. I wasn't too thrilled about going, but I had to get it out of my system. It takes about 35 minutes to make a complete revolution. The view at the top is worth it, especially at night.

The compartment

This display is at the Singapore Airport. Singapore is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Happy Birthday, Singapore!

There was another baptism on Saturday evening at 7:00. Our plane arrived about 4:00 PM. The Elders had an issue with printing the program so we had to hustle home; type it up (fortunately we've already created a template for the programs); print it: change our clothes; and get back to the church. We made it!

Luncha anak Dagang, Doeris Abella Manik anak Henry, Alwyn Maxielus Saka anak Henry,

Allen Shearrer anak Hellery, and Deborah Nadira Ringgan anak Henry

After the baptism we went to the Fruit Bowl for dinner. It was the last time for Elders P and C. Elders Y had to ride on the handlebars of Elder P's bike because of a flat tire. We will be losing Elder P (DL) and Elder C (ZL) as they will be returning home on Wednesday. We wish them well. There are farewell FHEs scheduled for Monday night with the branches. We're going to try to attend both.

Elder P and Elder Y on their way to the Fruit Bowl

One last time at the Fruit Bowl

This is quite a lot of pictures. I hope you're not too bored. There was a bunch that I left out, too! This coming week will be interesting with the transfers. Ah, the anticipation!

Borneo Cultural Festival and Baptisms

The ZLs have several baptisms this week. We are preparing and printing the program for the baptismal service. We asked the ZLs if they would get us the names of those giving the prayers and talks and what hymns the investigators would like sung at the service. Tuesday night the ZLs went to the homes of those being baptized. The first is an older couple. After their visit with them, the ZLs called and gave us the some of the requested information, after which, there was a, "Oh, by the way. Brother Biki would like to you baptize and confirm him." Speechless I was! I really only know them by greeting them each Sunday as they attend church. Brother Biki's reason for asking me is because, "He always seems to have the Holy Ghost with him." Speechless I was again! There's something to live up to!

We had a little discussion about doing it in English because that's all I'm really capable of, but the Spirit told me that I should do it in Malay. So Malay it is. I sat down the next day and composed, with the Holy Ghost's help, the blessing that I should give when I confirm Brother Biky a member of the Church. I wrote it in English, then translated what I didn't know with Google Translate. I then emailed that to our beloved ex-language tutor, Micah, who fine tuned it.

I need to back up here and share a bit about the second family that's being baptized Saturday as well. It is a family of five, including the father, mother, and three children. They have all asked that I baptize them! Speechless and overwhelmed I am! What a privilege and honor! Again, this is something that I never expected. Pictures will appear later in this blog.

So, this weekend is going to be very busy. Saturday includes seminary, the baptism, washing the baptismal clothes, printing pictures of the families from the baptism for their individual Books of Remembrance, and washing the baptismal clothes. Sunday includes the usual Sunday meetings with both branches, Branch 2 choir practice, and a gathering at Sister Star's place. She is having a special dinner for their neighbors who are being baptized on Saturday. It's probably more like an open house.
Somewhere during all this we need to find time to get our own laundry done and get packed to leave for Singapore Monday morning. Next week is Zone Conference.

Needless to say, I am not waiting until Saturday or Sunday to start this blog. I would never get it done. As I write this now I'm thinking I will be lucky to get it sent out by Monday.

Thursday was the beginning of the Borneo Cultural Festival. We wanted to check it out. We were a little early. Many vendors were still preparing their wares, mostly food. We discovered this was opening night which began with a parade. The parade started as most US parades start . . . police and the national flag. There were several ethnic groups that walked in the parade. There were a few surprises . . . a bagpipe band which looked like it was made up of young men from some sort of "Scouting" group. There was also another youth marching band. A highlight of the parade was a Chinese dragon. This short video will give you a little taste of the parade.

After the parade, there was a group of youth who performed with drums. This was very interesting. They also performed with a Chinese dragon.

The Borneo Cultural Festival is held behind the Wisma Sayan, the tallest building in Sibu. We've also been told it's the tallest building in the state of Sarawak.

Wisma Sayan

The gathering for the parade

It has been a cultural evening. We were also able to converse with a couple of Chinese ladies, who shared their cream puffs and little sandwiches which were like Sloppy Joes. Both were tasty. That was our dinner for the evening. We came home later and had a strawberry smoothie.

Here it is Saturday evening. We are home from a beautiful baptismal service that ran very smoothly. Sometimes the services seem a bit confused, but tonight was different. Two wonderful families were baptized. Tomorrow they will be confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As I mentioned earlier, I was able to baptize six of the seven that were baptized this evening. I've now baptized more people on this mission than I did when I was just a young missionary 40 plus years ago.

Elder Bodell, Elder S, Sister Urai, Brother Biky, Elder C. I had the privilege of baptizing Brother Biky.
Sunday I confirmed him a member of the Church.

Elder Bodell, Elder S, Kalvine, Kimberly Vannesa, Alleysia, Sister Rurin, Brother Petter, President Gara
Such a beautiful family! What a blessing for me to be able to baptize each of them.

One of our responsibilities as a senior couple missionary is to bring the baptismal clothes and towels home and wash them after the service. We also need to print pictures for the new members' Books of Remembrance. That is what we are doing this evening. The pictures are printed. The second load of laundry is done. In the meanwhile, I am finishing up this blog; however, I will not finish it tonight. There is the big dinner tomorrow night.

Several of the people at Sister Star's dinner

Sister Lucy and Sister Minah

Sister Molly

Kalvine, Elder C, Brother Lois (pronounced Luis) Brother Juban, and Brother Steven

Brother Gorka, and Sister Mina and Michael in the back

Sister Mina, Michael, Monica, Anne Michelle, and Lauren

Sister Bodell and President Gara

Sister Rurin and her husband Brother Petter helping with the dinner preparations

And dinner is served!