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