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

Week 5 - Malaysia - Bumps in the Road

Elders Steele & Kampenhout

Aug. 17, 2010

Hello Keluargaku!!!

    So Good to hear from you. Emails really do make a difference :D Especially when you have weeks like we did this one. We hit some pretty bumps in the road of missionary work, but we just gotta keep pedaling. Right? The work was seeming to come pretty easy at first, but now that its getting hard I definitely know that this is work and not play. Really makes you appreciate the work you do do.

   In the first few weeks Elder Steele and I were here (before we moved) we spent alot of time finding new investigators because we really didn't have too many. We spent a couple days doing alot of tracting. When we go tracting here, we can either knock some apartment complex's in Desa Ilmu (our soon to be new home) or we can knock terrace housing in the same building (harder because people are more prideful) or we can go out and knock in Kampungs (villages in the jungle, further away). This has been pretty tough to do in the past because we are about a 45 minute bike ride along 2 lane highway to just reach out area, and from there our area is pretty big. Just along the main road its about 30 minutes biking fast from one end to the other, and from the main road it could take anywhere from 10-20 minutes to reach the Kampung you need to go to. That being said, we have to bike alot. However, once we move to Desa Ilmu (2nd move in 2 months) we will get ride of the 45 minute ride to and from our area, and we will have tons more time to teach and tract. I can't wait :D I will kinda miss all the kids who yell at us from the side of the road or buss and practice their English. It's always fun to see people excited to talk to us. Sadly we can't teach most of them cause they are Muslim, but! Boleh Tahan.

    So with all of our tracting done, we only had one real investigator who wanted to learn, but she dropped us this week after she said "reading the book of Mormon makes her question the faith she has in God." We were a bit confused, but she really wanted to stop. So we had to let her go. It was Sad, but Elder Steele Read Alma 8:12-14, and I felt alot better about what we are doing.

    We have also battled some sicknesses this week (none for me though :D) and our beloved roommate Elder Skanchy left for Singapore to become the new AP. He is my Grandpa (trained my trainer) and we grew really close. I will see him soon though when we go training in Singapore next week. They are completely changing the way missionary work is being done, so I can't wait to start. It pretty much is going to encompass more planning and specializing lessons for the needs of the Investigators. Its really easy to fall into "routine teaching" where you teach the same to everyone, but we are trying to change that even before we get to Singapore. It's been hard, but since I haven't been out long it will be easier for me than for others :D

   Another Baptism this coming weekend!!! The investigators being baptised this week are sooo strong and are going to help support this branch a ton. They are so ready. The other night when we were at Anita's (one of them) her kids were practing being baptized, and holding their hands and noses and leaning back. They learned from the pictures in a Gospel Principles book. It was really cute and adorable to see, but I had to sadly tell two of the three that they are not old enough yet. One is 7, so he will be soon, but the little girl who absolutly loves me is only 4. Shes awesome though :D While the kids are pretty wild, I absolutly love them. They are so funny, yet so naughty at the same time. One of our recent converts brother Aaron (3 years old) is the worst! He is always smiling, and the only English he knows is "B"BYE!" So he will climb all over the couches and chairs, mess with the fan, and when we try to quiet him in the lesson he will run away giggling ans yelling B'BYE at the top of his lungs. It's quite funny when you think about it. The thing to do is just ignore them, and then they will eventually wander off or get bored and listen. LOL. You definitely cannot be an up tight person and survive here. It's crazy. But you still need to have discipline. Its very easy to become lazy, but when we try our hardest, the Lord blesses us. Sometimes he gives us hard times so we can remember why we need his help and why we are here, but every time we overcome adversity, we are always better because of it.

  Still loving the work out here though. I am getting more of a hang of the language, and just yesterday when Elder Steele was really sick he had to rely on me alot more, and I taught about half of the lessons. It was awesome!!! It's quite amazing how at one point you just start to understand what they are saying. Its really hard to directly translate Malay into English because there are no tenses, and no articles (like the, a,) and there isn't really a 'to be' verb. Its funny. Its like cave man talk. It's funny. But as it comes it gets easier and easier.

  Well I must be going. I love you all and love to hear from you. I can only attach so many pictures, but DVDs with all my pictures will be mailed home, so they can be put up on my blog. What is my blog website anyway? Never really got that one....

   Nama Berita!!!

Elder Willem Kampenhout