Malaysia Week 11 - The Famine

Ani Agah Mu!!!!

 

   Bagu!!!! Ha ha, all the different languages make it fun to connect with everyone around here. I actually just ran into an Indonesian Boy on the bus and he asked me if I had ever been to Indonesia. Ha ha, he was expecting No....So when I said Yes he was uber surprised. Good times.

 

   Another week in the working world. It has been a crazy week too. One of our Investigators passed away. Remember that little old Iban Grandma Sindu? Well her lungs eventually got too full of liquid and her body quit on her. She passed away in the Hospital last week, soon after I sent my last email. It was tough to stomach, and even harder for her family. The next couple days we made frequent visits out to their Kampung to see them and check on how they were doing, and we got to see how the Ibans do their funerals. They lay the body out one some blankets and cover her up with blankets up to her neck, and have candles around her. All the women and some of the men sit inside in a HUGE circle that goes around the whole room, and people will come in and worship, wail, or pray over the body. The rest of the men are outside smoking and drinking. For Sindu's it was especially hard because she wasn't baptized into a Christian Church yet, and this "lack of religion" led other religious leaders to tell everyone that Sindu was a lost soul. They actually stopped us from dedicating her grave because the Head of the Kampung told us "Angan!" (Dont!) because she didn't have a religion yet, and so we were not suppose to pray over her. Talk about a hopeless message. Her family was heartbroken, but when we spoke with them later, we reminded them of the Spirit World, and that Sindu does live, and that they will get to see her again. They started to smile again. :D Its crazy to think about all the other churches around here, and how their messages are so....hopeless I guess you can say. Makes you really appreciate the true church :D

 

   So those events kinda threw a wrench into our planning for the week, but we are still pressing on. We had over 50 people at Church on Sunday too!!! It was soo awesome to have the little building packed with all sorts of different people who are all in different stages of growth. Many New investigators, a couple recent converts, and old time converts. It is so great to see the Church growing :D

 

   One of the people to come to Church was a 21 year old named Kevin. His family is pretty strong Roman Catholic and they only really go so their kids can learn, but Kevin is VERY, VERY Intelligent and sees that his parents church is "not all there". We weren't sure where his desire was when we first started teaching him, but we somehow knew that he was the key to his family. His mom was concerned for him because he has not yet been baptized. So when we started teaching him Kevin was really in favor of his Agency. Good :D But as we started teaching him more, he really grasped onto the restored truths that we were teaching, and the Spirit really played a huge role in opening his heart. When he came to church with his family (except his dad) his mom asked me to show them where the bathroom was in the middle of sacrament, so I took their two younger boys to show them where the bathroom was. A few minutes later, Kevin came out and we waited for his brothers. He then turned and saw the painting of Christ Coming out of Heaven with all of the angels surrounding him. He just stood there, staring at the picture. After a few minutes he told me "I've seen this picture before, in a dream I had." I asked him "When did you have the dream?" "Two Years ago." He went on to relate how he saw everything excatly as it was in the painting, and how that picture alone in our church made him feel the truths that we were teaching. He told me "This is the most free sunday I've had." :D

 

      The gospel is true, and the path to Freedom lies in the same path that Christ walked. I know this without a doubt :D

 

I love you all so much,

 

Elder Kampenhout

Malaysia - Week 10 - A New Way of Life

Sept. 22, 2010

Selamat Patang Semua!!!!

    Sorry this is coming in a day late. Yesterday we had Zone conference with two zones, Kuching and Sibu, and we had to push back our P-Day till today. Zone Conference was SICK though!!! President Clark gave this really awesome lesson about Angels, and how they are everywhere all the time, doing the Lords will, and that a lot of the time we see them and don't even know it. It is incredible :D It's crazy to connect all the dots and see how prevalent Angels are in the Bible AND the Book of Mormon. Amazing.

   So this past week has been so packed with happenings there is no way that I would be able to say them all. Living in our area is 100% better, now that we don't have to spend 1 hour plus riding too and from our house just to go tracting or to appointments. It's insane. The work is picking up, and while Elder Steele and I are living alone, we are becoming more involved with the members and better connected to the area. It's nuts. Every morning we go running around this beautiful lake for our exercises. Its amazing. We actually taught these two 20 year old boys yesterday on the lake side, and it was a just natural being in such a beautiful area talking about the Restored Gospel, and how it can bless us all in our lives :D Halfway through the lesson though this Indian guy pulled up and parked his car about 25 feet away and just sat in the car. When we rode away afterward to our next appointment, we called out Cegu!!! which means teacher, and I stopped and started talking with him. He was driving by and when he saw us teaching these two boys he just felt impressed to stop and talk to us. Woah. WOOOOOAAAAHHHH.....He wants to bring us to his Kampung (Village) and have us meet his whole family, because he currently  has no religion. It was amazing talking to him, and he said that my Malay was very, very good, especially for only being out here for 2 months. The gift of tongues is real. I am now following about 90% oh what people say, and find myself not struggling to express myself. I still have leaps and bounds to go (questions are hard in Malay) and am still working on the Iban. I can understand a bit and speak a tiny bit. Aku nemu Mimit-mimit!!! Tak uleh Jako!!!! Haha. Its amazing.

  So when people say that being a missionary, and having a companion is like marriage training, they are so right. Now that Elder Steele and I are living on our own, we can never really get away from each other, so its 24/7 :D I love the man though, and he's a hard worker. You really do get used to peoples little "things" they do that bug you, and focus on the big reasons that you love them :D I have been truly blessed with Elder Steele. He really does like to work hard and we have a lot of fun doing it, and he doesn't make me feel like a trainee at all. Its great :D

   So oh!!! HUGE NEWS!!! A while back we had an investigator (Lintang) that moved to Johor Baru the week he was supposed to be baptized, and he was going to do his best to find the church there, but he didn't have a hand phone and we had no way of contacting him. It made us very sad, and we heard no news from the JB Elders if they found him. Then, the other night, right after this family committed to come to church, we got a text message. "Hello Elder. Mr. Lintang Anak Judi from Jesus Christ. Please Call me back." WOAH!!!!! People often associate themselves with their church by putting the name on the end. He's not even baptized and considers himself a member. Freaking sweet :D So we called him back. He just got a new phone and he called us, and we hooked him up with the Elders in JB. He is so awesome. He reads the Book of Mormon everyday and highlights it and loves to read. He even shared an experience where he almost lost his hand at work (a welder of large factory machines) but thanks to a prayer he was saved. Woah. It was one of the sweetest nights ever!!!! We were so pumped. I love the people here.

   Looking at the last 4 paragraphs starting with "so" I figured I would start a new one without So. But!!! Another Miracle this week. As we were riding out to Kampung Nangka, as we passed by a members house, Elder Steele thought he might have seen the car of one of their old investigators at a members house. These investigators, Jonathan and Jaeclyn, were very very awesome, but suddenly dropped off the map. We kept riding, but both of us had a super strong feeling to turn around. So we did, and we ran into them, and re-established contact!!! They have seen us tons as they drive around, but they just been too shy to stop and say hi or honk, so this was the perfect thing to happen. Since then we have met a few times and we are now back on track. They are on date to be baptized again, and when they do, they will immediatley become strong strong members. It's incredible how some people are just flat out prepared for you. All you need to do is be obedient and listen as the Spirit guides. On that note, our Branch President in the MTC had this quote, that I think applies very very well. An apostle said this: "When obedience ceases to be an irritant, and becomes a quest, in that moment you are endowed with true power." There are no other words that explain it better. As we grow closer to God through our obedience, we begin to desire more, and obey more fully so we can become more like him. Perfect. It really is incredible.

   Before the mission I never really read my scriptures a lot (bad Bad BAD) and I didn't really feel a need. But now, I LOVE reading them, and find new strength and insight every day, that I need for that day! I sit at a desk for 90 minutes everyday studying and writing my thoughts. It is awesome. I love it. I've finished the Book of Mormon once in the MTC and once out in the field, and now I am going through again, but in more detail with certain patterns in mind. There is much depth to them, and the knowledge gained through your own study, and sharing it with others is amazing and uplifting. I encourage all of you to do so. One thing I find particularly fun in topic is the Millennium, and how we are going to receive new scripture :D Just blows the mind.

  Well I must be going. I love you all so very much, and I pray that you remember the Lord in All things. Don't just settle for the good things. Find the Best things :D

Elder Willem Kampenhout

aka Elder Belanda atau Elder Kempen

Malaysia - Week 9 - Winds of Change‏

Nama Berita Nuan!!!

So another great week in Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia. So this past weekend was Hari Raya which is a Muslim Holiday in which all the Muslims close shops and go visit each other. They go house to house treating eacho ther with food, drinks and company. We were invited to a couple places including......(drumroll)......The Governor of Sarawak's Palace! It was awesome. We were part of a private selection that were invited, and we shook hands multiple times and took photos :) I would have some for you but my camera's battery has been sakit (sick) and won't charge, so I can't load it into the computer. I'm working on it though :D But it was really really fun.

The Malay people (Muslims) are soooooo incredibly nice, and friendly. They are incredibly gentle. We've heard about some really dumb pastor in Florida who are burning Koran's, and that is horrible. So very. These are the kindest, most respectful people I have ever met. It's sad we can't teach them because there would be many who would enjoy and love the message of the Gospel.

   One especially touching incident happened the other night. One of our members (Brother Juni) has a daughter who married a Muslim, and therefore had to become a Muslim. This utterly broke his heart, especially because she had a testimony, but she also loved the man she married. For many years Juni wouldn't talk to his daughter, but recently he has been talking and visiting, and is starting to heal. One of these reasons is Adam. Adam is his grandson, his daughter and husband's first and only son. He is the cutest, happiest, friendliest and most talkative child on the planet. When he is rattling off in Iban, Malay or English (7 years old) it is adorable. He calls everyone Kawan (Kaban in Iban [Friend in English]) and is the most adorable boy there. The other night we went there for his birthday, and happy birthday, ate food and started singing songs. We sang all sorts of songs and laughed all night long. The Light of Christ was soooo strong with this boy it was incredible. His sweet nature touched everyone in the room. His father is one of the kindest men I know, and yet their government won't let them learn about how their family can be sealed together for all eternity through the Power of Jesus Christ. When we left their house, and realized this, my heart was crushed, and I felt a fraction of what his grandfather, Brother Juni, must feel.

It was at that moment that I realized how strong Love is, and how it hurts sometimes. I realized that the cars we drive don't matter, nor the clothes we wear, nor the color of our skin, but our family. Family is Everything. I then thought about everyone who is in my family, and how much I love them and pray for them everynight. All I ever want is the best for them. Then I related this to our Heavenly Father, and how much He cares about all of us, and has the power to bless us eternally. All we need to do is Love him back, and show him that love. That is everthing. We are one big family. Let's show it.
     So we just moved (again) this morning to our new house out in Desa Ilmu, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak. It's awesome. It's just Elder Steele and I, and this new location will cut out a 40 minute bike ride everyday. Living in our area is going to be awesome :D We will have a lot less contact with other missionaries, but tons more with members and investigators, which is more important. I can't wait to tell you how this is going to change alot :D
    One of our investigators went to the hospital this week because her lungs weren't working very well. Her name is Sindu, and she is about 75 years old. She is learning with her daughter and 2 granddaughters. We went to go pay her a visit, and boy was that something! There are no front doors on the bottom floor, it's kind of open and you walk in. It's hot, humid, with people smoking. Definitely not the clean places we are used to. She was on the eighth floor, so we waited for 5 minutes for a slow elevator to arrive and then went up. When we reached her floor and were looking for her, we saw the visiting hours were already over. Too bad. We were there on business. The Lord's business. Passing by all the other sick patients was one of the most shocking things I've seen in my life. 50% of the patients had tubes running up their noses with some sort of sedative that helps keep them calm, unconscious, but left their faces in strange painful looking positions. Many of the older men and women who looked at us seemed to scream with their eyes "help us", as younger daughters and family huddled around some, with hopeless looks on their faces. Some younger teenagers were on their own beds, and terrified of what was to come, with no one there with them. All of this had me worried out of my mind for Sindu. When we found her, she had her own containment room. Oh No! When we walked in, there she was, the adorable little 4'3" little Iban Grandma sitting on her bed, with nothing hooked up to her, smiling. She mumbled some Iban and said that she misses church, and wants to be baptized. Ha ha :D It was such a relief. We left her with a blessing of health, and went on our way. The Lord protects His chosen children.
    So we are also at this moment teaching a man named James. He is married to a member here in Kota Samarahan, but works and lives in Bintulu (North). However, he was down here for a month and his wife convinced him to meet with the missionaries. This man is by far the most intelligent person we've taught (he's a doctor's assistant) and his heart is so huge. I loved this man the instant we saw him. His wife and her sister (24 and 19) we have been way good friends with, and now that he is learning about the Gospel it makes my heart swell with Joy. This last week we asked him to be baptized, and he accepted! He just needs to talk with his parents first. During our lesson last night, we were teaching him a bit about temples, and how he and his wife can be sealed for time and all eternity, and I just felt the Spirit so strongly you could have cut the air with a knife it was soo strong. I could see the love these two married people had for each other, and having been in the temple, I just desire for them to partake of the same blessings that I have. It's strange, because out here I am realizing what is most important in life, and what really matters, and I am seeing how the unseen powers can change our life for the better. I would urge all of you to dwell on these same experiences you have had, the same blessings you have received, and then think about those who have not yet received these things. Those who have not yet heard. Share it with them. It is the greatest gift you can give. The gift of Eternal Life.

    I love you all, and hope to hear from you soon. :D Jangan Nakal.

Elder Willem Kampenhout

Week 4 - Malaysia - Getting Wet

Aug. 11, 2010

Hey All!!!!

    Wow. I love this country. So this week Elder Steele and I had our first Baptisms!!!! Woot! 3 Young men. They are all awesome and wonderful spirits. I was given the lucky chance of baptising Sebastian (in the picture) and let me tell you, it was a life changing experience. I did it all in Malay and did it in one try, but the whole time I was a bit nervous. However, as soon as I stepped into the font I felt like a different person. I was no longer Elder Willem Kampenhout, but a representitive of Jesus Christ, who was helping this young man make covenants with Jesus to follow him and enter into his Kingdom. It was amazing. The other missionaries call it "getting wet" which is a kidna funny term. Haha. It was a good thing too cause on our way to the Baptism I crashed my bike when I slipped on water and mud mixture. I'm ok (don't worry Mom) but I got a hole in my pants and got some mud all over them. Luckily I was able to dress into my baptisimal clothes :D

   So this week has been interesting. Some days are scorching hot, while others it completely pours the rain down. One day it started to rain right as we rode into Kampung Rembus and the member there Dundang said "Get in the house now!" The rain picked up quickly, and soon afterwards we could not even see the next house over. The house our Zone Leaders were at was struck by lightning. It was nuts. We lucked out though, because the rain caused Dundang's neighbors and our investigators to come home from work, and we taught them a very personal and quite lesson, something we often don't get in a house at night full of Iban children. It was awesome, and their family are planning on getting baptized soon! It is so amazing to see people make the commitment to take upon themselves the name of Christ, and put aside the desires of the world and follow Him. It really does warm your heart.

    So some of my emails won't go through because of the pictures I attach, so now on I will send one with pictures and one without :) Just in case. It also helps if you keep your inboxs not so full (MOM!)

 So one of the pictures is a bathroom at a members house. The little hole in the ground is what you squat over, and then wash off your bum with the buckets of water surrounding you. At our house we have a shower hose, but its pretty much the same. I haven't used TP since I left the states. Its weird, but you get use to it.

 One picture is me with these kids out in this Kampung where we were helping a member build his house for his family so his kids could live close to their school, and so they could get an education. These people are very selfless, and family is everything to them. It is amazing to see how they will work so hard and be so kind all on behalf of someone else. It's very humbling.

   Another picture was this odd day where it looked like it was raining fire. It was the most beautiful skies I have ever seen. I more to show when I get home :D

   The work is going very well out here :D Elder Steele and I are going to move out into our area at the end of the month, that way we don't have to spend over an hour everyday biking to and from our area. It will definitly speed up the work and help us and our investigators. We will miss living with other missionaries, but we will get use to it :D

   Well we must get going. The work calls. The Lord blesses the obedient and awards us with truth and light in our lives. Follow him always. Read and Pray everyday and go to Church every Sunday. I Love you All!!!

Elder Willem Kampenhout  

Week 1 In Malaysia

July 20, 2010

So there was this really big dog....

   HA! Not yet, but we will see. Most of the dogs are these little dogs, but they run in packs usually. Only one has chased us this far, but Elder Steele (Elder Besi) and I are fast.

    So! Malaysia!!!! I love it here! It has rained the past 8 days I think? Before I got here, but when it really rains, you get completely soaked as if you jumped in a pool in about 5 seconds. Its pretty wild. At that point its just fun to ride though puddles and splash each other. Its great fun :D Its nice to be wet because of rain and not sweat, cause you sweat. ALOT when you are riding bikes in the humidity. You get use to it though.

   Our area and branch is called Kota Samarahan, and is about a 45 minute bike ride from our house. We have to ride on the side of the highway. Its scary the first few times, but you get use to it. It's pretty grand though. Its just tough cause you have to spend so much time riding it gives you less time to teach. We are moving to a new house next week, which will be a little bit closer, but might move again into Kota Samarahan to make it almost no highway riding at all. Well.....we would still have to ride a lot to get out to the Kangpungs (Villages). The people in the city are mostly Muslim and we can't teach them, so a lot of our work is done out in the Kampungs, where the Christians are super super humble. It is amazing. So many houses we go into are made of plywood, 2x4's and sheet metal, and they spend their whole lives in them. It shows how we should not complain one bit about the houses we live in. I also haven't seen carpet ever since I left Singapore. It's all tile here, cause carpet would just go bad super fast. Its kinda nuts, but true.

    So people have a hard time saying Kampenhout, so they have kinda picked my name to be Elder Kempen, which means campaign, but oh well. It works. Its not our name that matters, but the message we bring. The people here are so jolly, and love to mess with you (or Kacau) (you say like Ka-Show!!) and it's always really fun. You have to have fun with the people and can't take yourself too serious, otherwise you won't be able to teach them.

   So in Kuching (which means cat) and in the surrounding countryside, there is pretty much jungle everywhere. Between the different cities and kampungs which we ride to is deep jungle on either side of the highway. It's crazy to think about. The other day the 1st counselor in our branch Bro. Senen said his friend saw a python as thick as my thigh (and i have big thighs!) and it was longer than the road. It stopped all of traffic as it slithered across. It was crazy to think about. If I one i'll snap a pic. I don't have too many pics yet, but I will take more next week and send them out over email.

    So one of the fun things out here are all the dialects. The Chinese speak Chinese. Most people speak ok Malay, but a lot of people speak Iban, which is an offshoot of Malay, which makes it hard to understand because they sound so similar but are different. Its really fun though. My Malay is getting better by the day, and while I don't know how to speak Iban yet (gift of tongues will be needed for that one) I can say a few greetings are words. Nama Berinta!!!!! Akit!!!! (How are you!!! Grandpa!!!!) It's really fun.

   This has been amazing so far, and I am loving every second of it. I'm still getting my feet wet, and need to establish myself and get all my supplies, but that will come in time. Just know that the Lord is working hard out here, and that this is the frontier of missionary work. Best Mission in the world!!! Our area has been open for one month, so most of the people we talk to haven't heard about the church. There are a few long time members who moved out into our area, and are super strong and in good leadership positions, but there is a lot of work to do. Only through the Lord can His church be built. I Love this work, and can't wait to tell you more. I love you all and pray for you always. Take care :D

Love,

   Elder Kampenhout

Malaysia Week 8 - Humbleness before the Lord‏

Ground breaking for the first and new Kuching District building

Rain gear Malaysian style

Nama Berita Semua!!!!

 

   It's been awesome getting your letters and email. It's good to know that I'm not forgotten way over here on the other side of the world. It's hard to realize it, but when I think about it, it really is somewhere completely else. All the things we take for granted at home are luxuries out here. Almost every family has a computer, but out here if you have one....whoa....you are loaded or doing something right. It's crazy.

 

   Things are going well here. Elder Steele and I move out into our area in a week, and we honestly can't wait. We are always booked with appointments at night, and not having a 45 minute bike ride at the end of the night will allow us to teach more people, and be more interconnected with our area. It's interesting, but you grow fond of the area you are in and begin to love it like your own home time. It kind of is like home :D

 

   So, funny story. We are teaching a recent convert named Yang who is a 14 year old boy, who is smart, but very shy, and always responds " Tidak Tahu" or "I dont know". So we are trying to emphasis the importance of following Christ all the way through the Plan of Salvation, and I'm telling him, "Kalau Kamu berhenti, dan tidak ikut Yesus Kristus, kamu tidak boleh masak Syurga" which translates"If you stop, and don't follow Jesus, you can't cook heaven." Haha! Masuk = enter, which is what I meant to say, but instead said Masak=to cook. They busted up laughing and I was sufficiently humbled :D It was awesome.

 

   That has been a recurring theme this week though, is my thoughts on humility. More than ever this week I have realised how horrible of a teacher I am when compared to what I could be, and how no matter how good we are, the only way these people are going to listen is if they hear the Spirit of the Lord. This has been on my mind very deeply in this past week, as I have been reading through Mormon and Moroni, and see how the pride of men is nothing, and only leads them to destruction and pain. In my work, and in life, I (and everyone else) is going to have very, very hard struggles. We cannot overcome these alone. We need the Lord's help in all things. At this point I realised that this humble feeling is a good feeling. Now I just need to use my faith and trust in him. It's hard, because it's something we can't see, and goes against our human nature, but I know that as we do this we will be blessed :D

 

  Oh!!! Big News!!! Kuching is finally getting a building to call it's own. This week was a once in a lifetime event, as while a Missionary I had the chance to witness and participate in the ground breaking (Pecah tanah) of the New Kuching District Building, which will become the Stake Center when Kuching is ready. More than 200 gathered for the event, and while it was a bit of Organized Chaos, it was still a momentous occasion, and awesome to witness. The building will be done next November, so I should be long gone from Kuching, but it will still be a great step for these people here. For the longest time these people have been worshiping out of shop lots in large buildings, but now their faith is being rewarded with a building to call their own. The people are very excited, as are we. :) Kuching is on the Rise!!!!

 

The picture is all the Branch Presidents and District Presidents in Kuching. The Kota Samarahan Branch President (Sup) is the only one not wearing a tie in the blue shirt. He does that ;)

 

Also, the picture of Elder Steele and I is when we rode out to church that fast sunday, and it was raining like crazy, so we wore garbage bags because we don't have rain coats. It worked! We were still wet with sweat where the rain didn't get us, but it kept the mud off of us :D

 

 The work is definitely moving along :) I love these people, and I love this country. I know I will come back one day. The Area 70 over this country has prophesied that one day there will be a Temple in East Malaysia. When that day comes, I know I will return :D But right now I can help the Lord bring about His work by building up one small piece of His Kingdom, in the Beautiful Kota Samaharan. It really is. Every day when Elder Steele and I are riding our bikes and the sun is setting through the ocean, clouds making a prismatic display of colors, I think to myself "This truly is a beautiful place, and a place where God is Building His Kingdom."

 

   I Love you all so much, and hope to hear from you all soon. Take care all!!

 

Elder Willem Kampenhout

Malaysia Week 7 -‏ Promised Blessings

Selamat Pagi Semua!!!!! (Good Morning All)

 

    So I realized once I typed in my greeting that none of you would understand it. Haha. I've forgotten what Malay sounds like since it is all making sense now. It's crazy. The hardest is when people speak Iban (a dialect) or they speak half Malay and half English. That gets fun ;)

 

   But!!! Another wonderful week in the world of Elder Kampenhout. It is SOOOOOO nice being back in Malaysia. I never realized how much I missed it being in Singapore until I got back. The things learned in Singapore are great, but nothing beats applying them in the area you are called to serve. The weather has been super sunny and beautiful, and while you get pretty sweaty, it makes it a much more beautiful ride, and all the people are out and are yelling all sorts of things at you as you fly by on the bicycles :D

 

  So one thing I really love about the people here is when they want to learn, they really do. We have this investigator Konok who is very very old and doesn't work, so he sits around at home all day. This makes it awesome for teaching him because he's always there. At first it was hard to understand him and he didn't really understand much, but he wanted to learn. We gave him a Kitab Mormon and asked him to start reading, and boy did he. When we visited him 5 days later, he was in 1 Nephi 25. WOW!!!! He spends alot of his time home reading, and his understanding, his spirit, and his testimony have grown sooo much. I see it happening before my eyes. It's one of the most beautiful things ever. When we do have him read scriptures during appointments and he doesn't understand, he tells us "belum". It sounds like balloon, but it means "not yet". This single word tells me that he truly desires to understand, and that spirit is so awesome to have. It's amazing.

 

  One of the things they asked us to start doing in our apointments is to sing hymns. This is one of the many powerful tools you can use to invite the spirit, and I can testify of that. Our first time doing this, we were teaching a recent convert family where the Dad is not yet baptized. Yet he really does desire to, he just has problems with work on Sunday. However, this past Monday we taught their family about Family Home Evenings, and at the end of the lesson we all gathered and sang "Aku anak Tuhan" or I am a Child of God. I was sitting right next to Richard and his little 4 year old daughter Epiya was sitting in his lap, and they were singing together. Richard had his daughters hand in his, and was following the words on the page as they sang together. I almost started crying as this precious little moment occured. It truly showed me that even though people don't always understand what they are being taught, simple songs like "I am a Child of God" can send the message, and invite the Spirit of Teaching. Its amazing. This work is amazing. I am so lucky to be able to sit and talk with people, and see their countenance change in front of me. This gospel brings so much Joy and Happiness. How lucky am I to see it change peoples lives. I am loving it here.

 

  Don't worry though, I miss you all back home too :D I actually have these re-occuring dreams where I go home for a weekend to visit, but I am still under Missionary rules! It really sucks, 'cause I can't really do much. The dreams are always different, as I am doing different things or with different people. However, this last time, I just gave up trying to go outside, so I just stayed home and played Legos with Lukas (my big brother) in the front room of our house. It was really fun :)

 

   The food here is really, really good. We mostly cook for ourselves, and its either fried rice and meats, or noodles. The noodles they call mee. OH! So they have a Malaysian version of Ramen Noodles here, but they are amazing!!! The noodles are the same, but they use better spices and they have sauces that they include in the packets! I love the chili sauce, it really spices up the noodles. I will have to send some home so Mama and Papa can try it :D

 

  Well I must get going (kami mesti jalan) but know that I love you all and pray for you. Keep the faith, and remember who you are :D

 

Elder Willem Kampenhout

 

P.S. The picture attached is me on Hari Merdeka (Independance Day) in Malaysia. We attached the Malaysia and Sarawak flags to our bikes. Lots of people honked and waved. It was awesome

Elders Steele & Kampenhout in Malaysia-08.06.10

Elder Steele in Singapore-07.15.10

Willem on Independence Day in Malaysia