Oct. 5, 2010
Nama Berita Semua!!!!
So many many new missionaries are often referred to as Greeny ( Hey Greeny, grab me this!!) but from Day 1 I didn't take that kind of talk. I told Elder Steele he could can call me Newbie (cause its true, I'm new) but not Greeny. It stuck ever since :D Never really came around though. He's a good companion like that :D But!!! As of Yesterday I have finished my training!!! Woot! No longer a trainee!!! Its really not all that different. The change is slow, and if you need a title to tell you who you are.....well...i guess you need a title.
Things have been great out here! Elder Steele and I finally found a bank!!! And a Post Office (or Post Laju)!!!! We can finally survive! haha. Our money has come in for the month and we feel like rich men. Its quite fantastic :)
The language is really really coming now. My Malay is really getting there, and I will teach large parts of lessons at times. The only time when i'm quiet is when we are teaching some really old Iban Grandparents, and they can't understand Malay. They its mainly Elder Steele and a member we bring. The Members are SOOOOO important in these lessons, and are largely responsible for their teaching. It's quite amazing. The fellowship and testimonies are what really brings these kind of investigators into the church. No fault on our part, its all in the Lord and the Members. It's quite amazing. The members here are the best :D Many people can't read or write, and have never been able to understand the Kitab Mormon (Book of Mormon) but they have a feeling that it is true, and they know in their hearts that it is. Talk about a leap of faith. It really is something extraordinary.
So last Sunday was our last Sunday in our old shop lot at the Kingcenter Building. The Kota Samarahan branch (ours) and the Kota Sentosa Branch are receiving a new building in Kota Sentosa! Talk about rad!!! There are actually buses and vans that go to Kota Sentosa, so a lot of our areas will be able to have public transport when they don't have their own. This includes Elder Steele and I. We will no longer have to ride our bikes in the blistering heat or the pouring rain and freeze in the Air Conditioned Church. We will get to take a nice bus ride there :D Now, when I say bus ride. This is nothing like American Bus rides. These buses largely have no shocks, and launch you in the air with every pothole. And there are many. Wooden and metal seats. Engines that roar so loud you can barely hear. No AC. People smoking on board right underneath a no smoking sign (Jangan Merokok). But this really is wonderful :D Makes you really appreciate cars, and we can't wait to make this a regular routine.
That being said, the work is still moving along. While some investigators still and fall, and others push forward with faith, all I know is that Elder Steele and I are doing our best, and loving every minute of it. Last week on P-Day (after emailing) we went out to one of the Villages and played soccer with all the children on the village. All 40-50 of them. It was the best soccer game I ever played. I've scored goals, made saves, and won tournaments, but nothing compared to this day. As we arrived all the children crowded around us and were screaming and yelling and soo happy to have some people to play with. As we got of our bikes it started to rain. Most Ibans ran inside to get out of the rain, but the children still wanted to play soccer. So we played :D There were huge puddles of water, deep moggy patches of grass, and hard patches of dirt and rock, but it was still the best playing conditions ever. Everyone was drenched, everyone was muddy, and everyone was happy. Kids would switch sides every 2-3 minutes, mainly cause they just wanted to kick the ball. Elder Steele and I had a following of about 7-10 kids at all time, and all the girls were screaming and yelling from the sidelines. We would slip, fall, miss the ball, miss the goal, slide off the field into the jungle, but we did everything with a smile and a laugh. This was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I loved every single one of those kids, and I could feel the light of Christ in All of them. I now know how Christ could love children so much. Who couldn't? It wasn't the game we were playing, nor the country we were in, but it was the people we were with, and the joy we had together. This was true Love.
Your fellow brother, son and friend from Malaysia,
Elder Kampenhout
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