Various stuff and cool pictures

Dear All,

Brace yourselves:  We have a NEW INVESTIGATOR!!!   This week, we had a couple of lessons with a young girl that we met at the other Elders' lesson with their recent convert.  She speaks a little Malay and Iban, but is fluent in Chinese, so she understood Elder Broadhead and me much more clearly when we taught her.  She likes to joke around with us a lot, but when we sat down with her in a lesson situation, she asked us many questions of her soul, mostly about the Godhead and the plan of salvation.  We were able to answer several of her questions, and will meet her again this week to see if she did her homework (reading the Plan of Salvation pamphlet) and help her find more answers.  I hope she will feel how good the truth is in her heart, and that she will want to keep meeting with us and learning about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pray for us and for her!

In other news ... I'll just tell you a bunch of stuff that happened this week:

I called Elder Fletcher, who challenged me to a push-up competition in August.  I'm already sore from practicing.  (I can call other missionaries in the mission, as long as it's not during proselyting hours.  The only restricted phone calls are to places outside the mission, or to people of the opposite sex not in my area.  Elder Fletcher and I just reminisced a little.  He's in Singapore, my "birthplace," and I'm in Sarawak, where he began.)

I bought my first souvenir: A beaded tie at a beads shop downtown.

Elder Christensen, my District Leader came on exchanges with me, and we actually went out and knocked on people's doors.  And I mean their doors!  (this is significant because there were not iron gates fencing off these peoples' yards and doors, so it must have been in a pretty safe little community - this is the first time I've ever knocked a door directly.)

 

We ate at a fancy restaurant downtown with a kind member couple.  I had a Sarawak specialty: some kind of ferns that are hand-picked from the jungle.  yum!

Last P-Day our favorite member friend took us to a Chinese temple to take pictures and learn a little more about the culture.

I taught English class to several Iban speakers on the spot.  I only knew how to say a few sentences, so I'm glad that another pair of Malay Elders came to help me out.

I learned that New Zealanders are from Hagoth.  See "Temple View Area Conference Report, Feb. 1976"

I got your letter!  Thank you so much for sending me those emails from friends.  I can relate to almost everything I read about missionary work from them: the good times, the low times, and the new experiences, but not eating cheesesteaks.  I also really loved Elder Eyring's talk.  What he said about that drive or that force inside me that lifts me up and inspires me to be the very best I can, put into words what I could not.  His words about the future family and knowing if I'm forgiven and worthy really resonated with me, simultaneously chastising me, inspiring me, and comforting me.  Thank you always for what you send, what you say, and how you pray for me.  I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers, always.  I'm still learning that it won't be in exactly the way or at the time that I want, but I know that His way is better than my way, and all that He does is for my good and learning because He loves me, and all of us, so much!

I love all of you, too, more than I can say!

Love,
Brennan

Photos:

Visit to Chinese temple

These are for Noelle:  I'm not used to taking pictures of flowers, but tell me how I did.

 

How do I eat a mango?

 

I wish you could have seen all the colors - there  were so many more I couldn't capture, some excellent blues.

Exchanges with Elder Christensen

A common street sign, probably inspired by something in a Mario Kart game.

 
And these: