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| Traditional housing from the past |
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| Elder Gallinger at Cultural Village |
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| Elder Kampenhout ready to cut the coconut |
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| Elder Kampenhout with man with traditional Malaysian dress |
grave stone Willem chiseled
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| Malaysian members going caroling |
Dec. 21, 2010
Woah,
So I thought that maybe i could avoid the 'Crazyness' that comes with Christmas around this time of year by being: A) In a Nationally Muslim Country B) On a Mission C) 10,000 miles away from any family.
Boy was I wrong.
We have been invited to about....10 different Christmas parties where we are told (not yet experienced) that you will eat about 2-3 plates of food at each. My trainer told me that he wanted to never eat again after his first Christmas. Oh joy! Ha ha. But we will make due :D It has also been nuts cause our Branch has been caroling every night for the last week. Now this is not the American or European caroling, where you stand outside and sing, and then they give you some cookies. No. This is Iban Caroling. You have a planned schedule of where you are going, who you are seeing and what times (rarely is such planning seen like this). Our Branch has then been traveling in a group of about...30-40 people, and they all enter into your room, sit down and talk for a bit, and then stand up and sing 2 carols, and then sing "we wish you a Merry Christmas." Then they bring out the drinks and crackers and you eat!! Let me tell you. It's nuts. The last night I swear it was our whole branch, and they carried all the members around in the equivalent of a Dump truck. See picture for proof! It was such a blast and definitely fun!
We have also had lots of trainings and meetings around this time of year, as tomorrow is actually our Zone Conference! That combined with Caroling and Christmas day is making this a pretty eventful week. Definatly puts a twist on the usual hum drum of life (rare do you have such a week in Missionary worrk, let alone Sarawak). Now, when people talk about Sarawak, it usually has a very special "must have seen it to believe it" kinda thing. It truely is. Anything really can happen in Malaysia. Anything. We actually ran into some teachers from North Carolina a few months back who were teaching at a school for a semester. Middle of Malaysia, in an area where the English is pretty bad. What are they teaching? Communications. Lets just say they weren't too happy with the students in the course :D Ha ha ha. We also ran into a Malay woman (Muslim) who is visiting from Atlanta, Georgia. WHAT!?!?!?! Yeah, she moved there when she married and American, and is now on break with her 13 year old daughter. It was crazy. Many more stories, but Sarawak is definably an interesting, unique place. As are most places :D
So on a more Spiritual side, one thing that our Zone leaders trained us on the other week was something called Faith Finding. Woah. It works. Just going out knocking houses to pass time = waste of time. But faith finding is completely different. You and your companion pray about an area you feel inspired from personal prayer to go to. You then 1) Pray as a companionship about the Area. 2) Set a date and time to go there. 3) Set Goals 4) Pray again to the Lord and involve him in your plan. Tell him where, when, what street, what houses, what times. Get Specific. He likes specific. 5) Follow through on what you have committed to the Lord to do. Wow....Day 1 did this have results. "But why are you giving us this mission pattern Elder Kampenhout?" Because it can be useful in everyday life! Not for just missionary work, but for everything. Maybe you had an argument with your wife/husband and want to talk with them about it or something else really important. You can receive added help from this set pattern. Maybe you are hunting for a job, playing in a soccer game, giving a presentation. Anything. All you basically do is:
1) Pray about a problem/need
2) Set about a plan to solve or fulfill the need
3) Set goals about what will be accomplished
4) Pray unto the Lord with Specifics of what you have planned.
5) Follow through on what you have committed to the Lord to do.
I know that this is going to change my life. I can't wait to use it in normal civilian life. Maybe you guys can try it out for me ;)
So some of the pictures above are of me chopping open a coconut here in Malaysia. Here the brown outside is covered with a green or orange "flesh" which protects and preserves the coconut. Only on the coast and certain areas are they just the brown furry kinds. Also as you can see I failed to cut it in half with one fell swoop :( But I still got him open and ate his insides, and drank the milk! A bit sour, but alright....Elder Gallinger thinks I'm nuts and doesn't like the coconut.
Also above is a picture from Thanksgiving! And also a gravestone that I carved out, painted, and then finished for our member who died a while back. It has been a slow work in progress, and all the carving was done with a hammer and chisel. For a first time...not too shabby! But it definably was a once in a lifetime experience. Really makes you think about the reality of Death in our lives, and what comfort the Resurrection brings. To truly have that firm faith in your heart that you will live again, and see all who you have seen.....what joy it brings at such sorrowful times. :D
Well I must get going, but know that things are going well out here. Elder Gallinger and I are having a blast, and while we are lacking in snow (as I am sure all of you are NOT) we have been nailed by rain the past few nights. Gets quite cold now. My body is starting to turn into a little old Iban man body. NO!!!! Good thing I come back in the Summer time! But we are really good here. It is flying by way too fast. Sometime I wish you could just pause and enjoy, but there is never enough time. Never enough.
Your Loving Friend, Brother, and Son,
Elder Kampenhout
P.S. We went to the Sarawak Cultural Village today, so that is what Cultural Iban's look like. Way sweet!!! I wished they really dressed like that. Nope. Now they were western clothes, watch western movies, and have western names, like one of our investigators....Randy Austin.....a WWF Wrestler's name. Yeah.... We have seen a Sylvester Stalone, Michael Jackson, the works. Sarawak....I tell you.....you have to come here.
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