Malaysia - Return from Kuala Lumpur‏

August 16, 2011

Hello Family!!!

   So it has been about 2 weeks since I last sent one of these out. I do apologize. Last Wednesday I was in Singapore on a Visa run (so I don't over extend my stay in Malaysia and get kicked out) and we were short on time ‘cause we needed to catch a bus to Kuala Lumpur for Zone Leader Council and our Missionary Leadership Training. But....it was an amazing trip.

               Elders Hawkings & Kampenhout in Kuala Lumpur

   This past week we really learned about how we, as an individual, really do make a difference. How our every action can have a positive effect on those around us. Having an energetic and enthusiastic attitude really can brighten and help those in need. If you are always acting negative, you will accordingly become a negative person. If you are positive, you will be a positive influence in your own life, and in the life of others. This is so true!  :D In my life, when I look at my friends and family who were always making the best out of every bad situation, they seemed so much happier than those who dwelt on offenses, hard feelings, and wrongs done. Live the Gospel. Have faith they didn't really mean to be evil, repent of your wrong doings, forgive them for theirs, and remember that you can be forgiven and that the feelings of guilt and shame can be taken away. When this is done, the Holy Spirit will fill your soul and bring you to such a level of happiness that you will want to have it with you the rest of your lives.  :D Like Bob Marley Said "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Everything will work out. Don't sweat the little stuff.

   So one thing that has been a constant theme amongst our investigators, and in life, is that those who read the Book of Mormon get converted. Those who are reading will often have the biggest challenges, but they will always receive strength from its pages, and will gain a strong testimony of its truth. Those who barely read, or don’t read with their own desire, are often lacking in testimonial strength. The reading of the Book of Mormon is not just important, but Essential in gaining a true testimony of all things. Of Joseph Smith, of Jesus Christ, of our Heavenly Father. Those who have read it and pondered its teachings know of what I speak. :D It is so incredible to see people who begin to read their Book of Mormon and find the strength and truthfulness of it. I know this work is true. Miracles come because of Faith. :D

                  Elders Kampenhout & Hawkings with a Malay family

One cool thing that happened last week was that as requested by one of my District Leaders, I asked the Assistants to the Mission President where the success was happening in the Mission so that we could find some hope and inspiration. The past few months have been a bit tough, and a bit of a baptism drought, but we are pulling out of it. The success they told us about was actually from the Sisters in the old Zone I use to serve in. In the Month of June they had 20 baptisms!!! Woah!!! And that was with a trainee, and they still have 11 on date to be baptized. Hearing about this great news rekindled that idea that there are people just waiting to hear the Gospel, just don’t know where to find it :D The Miracle that followed was that as we were getting off the bus to go to a member referral, there were a few people who were talking alongside us towards the Giant (kinda like the American Walmart). I had this little feeling I should start talking to this YSA aged girl just about little stuff, and did so, but right before we went our separate ways, I asked her if she was Christian, and she said yes. I told her that my friend and I are teachers, and gave her our card and invited her to learn, and she said Yes! She then offered her number to us! Now this has happened many, many times, but a few days later, she called us! She asked us how she can follow this church, and we just met her this morning, and she totally accepted the message of the Restoration, and is willing to be baptized. She has lots of friends too who would love to learn.  :D The little things the Spirit whispers are often the most important ones.  :D You never know what little actions will bring. What little things can you do today?

Your Loving Friend, Brother, and Son,

     Elder Willem Kampenhout

P.S. The Missionaries are all the District Leaders in our zone and the Singapore Zone Leaders! Woot! From Left to Right : Elder Hawkings (my companion) Elder Teng (Singapore Zone Leader from China) Elder Brown (Sandakan, Sabah District Leader) Elder Williams (Tawau, Sabah District Leader) and Elder Vance (Singapore  Zone Leader) All awesome guys! :D

Malaysia - Week 55

Kota Kinabalu

Aug. 3, 2011

Hello family!!!!

    Wow....where to begin with this week? Things are just picking up here and we are starting to fill into our roles in working in an area-based city. In the past times, it was really "teach who you find" but now we are giving over to the sisters those whom reside in their branch and they are doing the same for us. Because so, I feel the work is going to increase. In fact it already has. :D.

    Our first Sunday with two branches was interesting too. :D Elder Watkins was visiting with his family after completing his mission, so there was an additional 6 white people at church. However, by the time the second session started (our branch) the translation equipment had run out of battery, and so we had to all split up and translate for his family. Then in walks our 5 Filipino investigators, only one of white can speak Malay, and they sit down and we then had to add even more to our translating. The pressure was building, as these investigators church experience and knowledge and insight gained was hinging upon our ability to translate for them, and doing so on the fly, with no printed out talks! Then to add to it, the power shut off right in the middle of one of the talks! Oh No! But amazingly Bro. Harun kept right on talking, and did not even miss a beat. :D It was incredible. He just simply raised his voice a bit more :) However, if you have ever been to Malaysia, you know just how fast you miss AC in a building which normally has one. The insulation on all the buildings here is pretty poor, so the cold air escapes very easy. So they then just opened the windows to survive the rest of sacrament meeting, and then cancelled the rest of church. Never mind that most classes have not been organized with teachers yet, so perhaps the power outage was a blessing in disguise.  :D

Road clean-up workers

    We also had another really fun road cleanup project. :D Not as many attended, but we tackled a lot less road this time too, but still got some good publicity for the church in a country where we can't do any advertising.

Elders Kampenhout & Hawkins

     There are so many more miracles to write and tell about, but only so much time. I guess you have to stick to the important things, much like they do in the Book of Mormon, with only writing a 100th of what actually happened. But it satisfies me to say this. Listen to those little promptings, and the Lord will lead you to do great things, meet great people, and become a great person :D It really is a small little whisper. :D But it leads you in the greatest ways imaginable :D

   I love you all, and hope your life is laced with joy and peace. :D

Your Loving Friend, Brother, and Son,

         Elder Willem Kampenhout

P.S. I attached a picture of me eating something called Dragon Fruit. Soooo yummy :D

Willem eating Dragon Fruit

Malaysia - Week 54 - The Goose has flown, and The Eagle has landed‏

July 26, 2011

HI Ya'all!!! (As our southerner Senior Couple [Larsons] would say)

   This past week sure has been event filled for sure!!

  First off, The mission president (President Clark) and Elder Subandriyo (Quorum of the 70) came to Kota Kinabalu and split the Branch into two! Woot!!! It is super exciting and has been ready to split for some time, and now that it has happened, I have a feeling that there will be an increased portion of the spirit here in KK. I can already feel it :D There will be challenges, especially in our branch. The majority of the Leadership of the original branch all lives in the KK 1 branch area, while only a handful of leaders live in our KK 2 branch. However, those few leaders are some of the most capable of them all. It will be much like my Kota Samarahan days :D I can't wait :D We are meeting the branch President tonight at his home.  :D

  Second of all, we went on splits with the Assistants to the President and with President himself. President Clark also gave us a super amazing training about the Old Testament. He told and expounded before us about how if we want to understand why the world is the way it is, we must read the Old Testament, especially when it comes to Middle Eastern politics. The Old Testament, while old, is still the word of God, and he encouraged us to read it all through our mission. Can!!!!

  Thirdly, my belated companion Elder Sorensen has honorably finished his mission, and is currently on a flight back home to his family. He has truly began his journey in life and is being shaped by the Savior to become one of his sons :D Everyone will always remember the "Angsa" (Elder Sorensen’s nickname). He received that name because his first companion thought his name was Swanson, and so the members in Johor Baru gave him the Malay name Angsa, which means Swan or Goose. Here when they have a hard time saying your name they will sometimes find a new name to use. Or sometimes they will give you a name because they like you. Elder Watkins (whom i replaced) was called Turkey or "ayam belanda". Sometimes the Elders Quorum President will call me "ikit" which means duck, cause I sneeze like a duck. Haha. And now my new companion is Elder Hawkins....or Elder Helang (eagle). I guess KK is just an attraction for all kinds of birds ;)

    It sure has been interesting to see Elder Sorensen go home. It made me realize how sometime I too will finish my mission, and this life will be left behind. I don’t like thinking about that day....

   But! Elder Hawkins arrived yesterday and we moved him in and went out and had a couple really good and powerful lessons together. We even met with an old Investigator from Sandakan who has come to KK for schooling, and we miraculously bumped into each other the other day. She is so incredible and so receptive to the spirit. She speaks her mind, and it builds my faith. Just yesterday after our lesson she said "I just feel so peaceful".... :) It was sweet music to my ears. I love hearing responses.

   We are also now meeting with this incredible group of Phillipinos who live next to our apartment complex, and they feed us ALL THE TIME!!! Even last night. We had two separate meetings set up, and they feed us at both! I’m going to get so fat. Not! Jeffrey (the brother) comes to the gym with us every morning and is pretty much our trainer. He’s a way good one too! And he knows what he is doing. What a sweet kid :D I love Phillipinos.

Well I must get going. I hope you all are doing well and healthy. Are you feeling the summer heat now? Well....I'll tell you now. It’s nothing compared to here ;) It was 86 degrees in our room the other day, and it felt cool. I’m glad I don’t go home in the middle of winter.

Your Loving Friend, Brother, and Son,

     Elder Willem Kampenhout

Week 52 & 53 - Malaysia - Sandakan Express‏

July 19, 2011

Hello family!

   So I have literally spent 28 hours plus on a bus this week flying down two lane highways over hills and mountains, dodging semi-trucks, cars and potholes. Such is life on a Sabah Bus going from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, Friday, Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. It has sure been an adventure.

  The work has been a bit slow in our area. A lot of our investigators have gotten busy with work or family things, and a bit of the fire has kinda fizzled out. We all go through tough times, but I just hope it doesn't last for very long.

  This week has also been a bit interesting as we have been kinda starting over in finding a lot of new investigators, and it is so incredible to see how the Lord will guide his servants sometimes. There are no accidents in missionary work. Everywhere you go, you will find people that the Lord has placed in your path. Just yesterday, we got out really early to meet a street sweeper woman whom I had contacted at a member’s hair salon, and when we met her that morning, she was so incredibly closed to listening and accepting it was amusing. Then after missing a bus back to our district meeting, we waved down a bus which pulled over for us, and in the back I sat next to a man who hadn't been to church in a long time, wasn't super interested, but was a nice guy. However I just felt inspired to ask him to come to church and to learn again about Christ. We exchanged numbers and I made a mental note to call him later that week. The rest of the day continued to kick us in the face, and when things were kinda looking down, we suddenly got a text from Rowl (the man in the bus) and he was soooo excited to come to church and to meet us and wants to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was such a brightness to the day, and came as a confirmation that the Lord will lead you to his chosen people, you just need to take the step first. Sometimes there are a couple thorns that will hurt, but the end goal is worth it all :D

    This is Elder Sorensen's last week on his mission too, and we have been having a lot of good chats at night and just about life in general. Really brings a lot of things into perspective. He is a good missionary and I will certainly miss his little giggly laughs and his countless comedian acts that he can just pull out of his brain. It really is incredible.  :D

   Kota Kinabalu continues to be a great one, and I would suggest touring here if you ever get a chance to come. It's amazing! :D

Elder Kampenhout

Week 48 - Malaysia - Weak things shall be made Strong‏

June 14, 2011

Dear Everyone,

    Oh what an event filled week. We had Zone Leader Council in Kuala Lumpur (in West Malaysia) and then had a Missionary training the following day, followed by a flight home (nearly 3 hours) that night in which I sat next to and talked to a young recently married Chinese woman, who couldn't quite understand that I wouldn't stop my mission if I 'met a girl'. Ha ha. For about 5 minutes it went like this "So if you meet a girl.....then how?" "Elder Kampenhout responds" "Ok....but if you meet a girl and like her.....then how?" "Elder Kampenhout responds and talks about how he can marry after his mission." "Ok...but what happens if you really, really like her...then how? You stop mission?" Ha ha. It was quite entertaining.

   We then visited some great member families and we even invited to go with our investigator Liliana to a Birthday Party with a members family, in which LOTS of in-actives came out, and we were able to make contact and get information. It was an amazing environment of love. It was good for Liliana too, who does not know a whole lot about Christianity, which has been a struggle, but she is working and now living with one of the most Gung Hoe missionary members in the branch. Sister Dorkas. She is the one who is celebrating her daughter’s birthday, but being is such a warm and loving environment, it has been incredible to see how much Liliana has grown. The other night we gave her the Joseph Smith Pamphlet as homework, and when we met again, she had read it 7 times!!! It was amazing. She could almost even give us word for word. Talk about incredible! :D Her example has highlighted a principle which we were taught by Elder David A. Bednar. The Power to Act.

 Heavenly Father loves us and knows us perfectly. He knows us so well that he just knows what we are going to do, but he still gives us the choice. The power of Choice really is an amazing thing. 1 Corinthians 10:13. No matter what our situation, we can always choose good. We are here as Agents to act, and not be acted upon. There is such power in that. Take this next week and think about how in some situations when people are acted upon, their performance is mediocre. However, when someone acts as their own agent, they are endowed with heavenly power. It is quite amazing just to see this principle applied in our teaching. Mind blowing actually.

   I gotta skip along now, but know that the work is pushing on here in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia. It’s pretty rad. When you think about the big picture of all things, it’s amazing.

Your Loving Friend, Brother, and Son,

      Elder Willem Gerrit Kampenhout

Malaysia - Week 51 - Airplane‏

July 5, 2011

Dearest Keluarga,

   Another incredible week in Missionary work. Last week we flew to Kuala Lumpur again for another Zone Leader Council, in which we gave reports on our Zones and where President Clark and the assistants gave trainings which they want to be distributed throughout all the missionaries. This line of communication is very important, as we are to carry out what the Lord and President Clark wants all of his missionaries to learn. I am just grateful I get to hear it from him face to face. The hard part is relaying that same message and doing it in the same spirit to those whom I have stewardship over. This can only be done with the Lord's help. Can anything in this work be done without him? Nope :)

   I have truly gained a testimony of this work, the work of salvation amongst the children of men, helping them become the children of God. The only true, honest, and effective way to do it is through His Spirit, and in His spirit. As we rely on Him, we are able to assist in His work. If we don't rely on Him, then we are really just wasting Hs time. Often times we will do things to assist us, such as set goals, do activities, but these are only effective if done in His Spirit. As soon as these become "our" goals and not His goals, then we are no longer receiving His support.

   But some interesting news :) There are about 4 people we know (2 of them church members) who are going to have babies this week. It’s been really interesting seeing these pregnant women everywhere, and really makes you think about their divine calling as mothers and caretakers of their children. 3 of them are first time mothers. What an exciting experience to go through.

   As for me though, I am ok :) We also nearly crashed into the Airport Terminal on our return flight from KL, as we were trying to land in pretty horrible storm weather, but thanks to some quick hands by the pilot, we pulled up and flew over top of it. It was just like a movie! :D So after circling around for a while in which they dimmed all the lights and no one said anything, we flew over to the country of Brunai and sat on their runway for an hour plus, where I had the chance to talk with some Australian Pentecostals. Extremely nice people, but once talking about religion they get a bit aggressive. It was certainly new talking to white people though. But then we flew home and arrived home nice and safe. :D

   So the work continues forward, and the Kingdom of God rolls forth :) I'm happy as a clam at high tide, and hope you are all well and happy :) Jaga Diri :D

Elder Kampenhout  

Bus to Kota Kinabalu

It looks like a celebration, a birthday??

Not so sure he's comfortable.

Malaysia - Week 50 - Living the Gospel‏

Hello Family!!

   A good week this one was :) A lot of last minute change of plans, going to hospitals, birthdays, lots of good stuff :D Some pretty good highlights:

     Sunday afternoon after another spiritually uplifting Sunday, we were just about to head out to a member's house when when we got a call that one of the sisters in the ward was just admitted to the emergency room for severe stomach pains! Oh no! So we headed out to the member's house to grab him and then head to the hospital. We were expecting to meet him at his house, yet when we got off the bus stop, he was already dressed in his shirt and tie, and waiting next to his car. "Lets go" he said, and we were off. Now that is the Priesthood in action :) Always ready and waiting to serve. Arriving at the hospital we took a look at the x-ray, and it appears that there was a spring in the woman's stomach. What?!? Hahaha we just started laughing because everyone was just confused as to how it could have happened. Elder Sorensen then started talking about how "She'll bounce back from this one fast" and " she'll rebound in no time". Haha it was good and we were probably the only ones laughing in the hospital. We then administered to her and went on our way. We later found out that the spring was actually a pen that was in her pants, but in fact she really had kidney stones. She said she would be ok though. :) She's already home with her kids :D

   Saturday night we somehow managed to get "kidnapped" by a member and driven out to this huge shopping mall called One Borneo. It's super big. We thought we were just going with her to drop off her niece for her Fashion Show practice, but....nope. We were wrong. We ended up being there for the whole finding of dresses in the store, all the girls trying them on, and finding the jewelry they want to use. Haha. Elder Sorensen said "This is only happening because we are missionaries." There is probably some truth to that. It was an adventure though. The member then asked us to come next Saturday to the actual show, in which we politely declined and told her that we had already seen the show :) We don't need any more unnecessary distractions as missionaries :D

   In light of all of these rather comical events, some very spiritual lessons can be learned. Having had many conversations and seeing the way that people live here in Malaysia, and even home in America, the one thing that I think everyone needs a little bit more of is comprised of four letters. Love. Such a powerful word. It can be shown in many ways, and also has many "look-alikes" but nothing can really replace Love. It is Love that you show when you visit the hospital to visit the sick, it is Love you show when you spend time with your kids, and support them in their activities. Many people will participate in things because they just want to be accepted and loved. The adversary then easily tricks them that if they do "this or that" then people will love and accept them. That love and acceptance only lasts for so long. Real Love and Acceptance comes from when you really do show them that you care about them. Whether it is a thank you, a wave, a smile, a hug, a kiss, or even just a little note left on the desk, there are innumerable ways to show love. And yes....you can buy flowers on days other than February 14th. Show someone that you care this week. Be the person that brightens someone's day. This is the Love of Christ :D It is not just something we talk about during Sunday School or Sacrament meeting, but is what we do each day of our lives.
 

From your Loving Friend, Brother, and Son,
     Elder Willem Kampenhout