"Planting the Seed"

Apa Khabar! (Malay for "How are you?")

I've been introduced by the missionaries to a store that sells five ties for ten dollars! It's a great deal so I'll probably have a decent tie collection when I get back from my mission!

I was reading a quote by President Hinckley, which I thought was wonderful. It was his counsel to missionaries where he talked about how the missionaries and members of the Church are responsible for sharing the gospel to "a world that doesn't want it," but we should be the source of the gospel to them. Even if they don't want to listen then, we have planted the seed of the gospel there. In another quote, he talked about how we should all be "a little better, a little stronger, a little more thoughtful, a little humbler, a little more prayerful, and to stand a little taller." As we do that, we can seek the Lord's guidance and be more worthy to him. I certainly hope that I'm doing all that I can to achieve that. As I continue in his service, the adversary works harder and harder to plant doubts in my mind and tempt me, but that makes me all the more want to fight harder to be worthy of the Lord. It's hard at times, especially since home is so close, but I know that with the Lord as my strength, that I can overcome all.

Anyhow, going on, this week was pretty productive. We taught eleven more lessons than we did last week. I've gotten a decent amount of my training done so far with Elder Pace. We've been going through the white handbook during companionship study. We've been exploring some new areas that Elder Pace hasn't been to yet so it's been fun showing him around. It seems to me that the people here really are pretty friendly. I guess you can kind of tell who not to approach.

We had a few interesting encounters this week. The first was a referral that we got from the Chinese Elders, Elders Hunsaker and Roberts. They gave us the number of a lady who owns a Christian bookstore, and she said we could meet up with her, so we did. Unfortunately, when we got there, all she wanted to do was sell us Christian materials. It got pretty awkward so we left. A couple of days later, we were taking the MRT (train), back home. We bumped into a bunch of Christians from another church that was started by some local pastors here. Elder Pace had told me about how he and Elder Plant (his last companion), had met with them one time and went to one of their meetings and it got really weird because they had some rituals. While teaching them, I got a really uncomfortable feeling, like the Spirit wasn't there, and I got pretty scared. Thankfully, we were near our stop and we got out soon enough. It was a weird experience, and I prayed and asked for a blessing from the Elders which calmed me down. The people were really nice, and they're great people, but that was a really weird encounter. For the last crazy encounter of the week, we were waiting for investigators on Sunday when a guy approached us and said he was supposed to meet with us. We finally figured out that he was a tour guide who said that he had been interested in using the Church as a stop for his tour of Singapore. Anyhow, we took him to Sacrament, where he acted questionally a couple of times, but we ignored him. As Sunday School started, he asked if we wanted to talk about the tour inside or outside the classroom, so we took him outside. It turned into a pretty heated encounter because he insisted on only taking to Elder Pace and Elder Shute (senior couple missionary) because they were westerners and this was a western church. He rudely ignored Bishop Lim and refused to talk to the Stake President because he is Singaporean. Eventually, he said he would call, but it was a very disturbing conversation and I had to keep my temper in check. I guess that I'm building my patience out in the field.

Oh, great news! One of the investigators that I contacted and taught has accepted a baptism date for July 5th! Unfortunately, he lives in another ward's boundary so we had to transfer him to the Elders in that ward. But, the Elders said that they'll still try and see if I can be the one to baptize him. If I can that will be awesome! But even if I can't, I know that I've done my part to bring one of Heavenly Father's children back to Him, and that's really all that matters! The ward members have been really nice to us. We had dinner appointments the whole of last week. They were all wonderful and we loved it! The only thing a little off was that we were served spaghetti four nights in a row. I think one night might have been angel hair pasta. But I really should be complaining. It's just kinda funny how that happened, the food was still great. We were taken to a hotel buffet for lunch by some members too, so we've definitely eaten more than we need to. Elder Pace's stomach isn't doing too well right now because of that. That's what we think anyways. We're trying to work on eating less and eating healthier now, it's working a little I guess. The good thing is that we take public transportation and walk around, but I do need to watch my heart because it can spike pretty easily and then I don't feel too well. Other than that, it's been great, and I love doing the work of the Lord! I love being with the missionaries. It's a wonderful bond that we have. We do have to take our work seriously but we have our fun too. Elder Nixon, who lives with Elder Pace and me, along with Elder Selveratnam, had his birthday on Saturday so we've been celebrating it these past few days!

I've also seen just how important and useful members are in missionary work. We love to receive referrals from members because it helps us to get into the homes of these investigators. So, if you have any referrals, even if you don't think your friends want to hear about the gospel, try anyway! You're helping the Kingdom of the Lord to grow!

Time to write some letters and go take a nap! I've received a few letters but I wouldn't mind getting a bunch more so do write! Thanks!

Eternal Families!

Hi Everyone!

It's been a good week. I'm really gaining a testimony of the Lord and of his sacrifice and the restoration of the gospel. First things first, Grandpa and Grandpa Chua were sealed today! I was proxy for Grandpa and Sister Smith, the MTC president's wife, acted as proxy for Grandma. It was such a special experience. Elder Yapa Gopal, one of the missionaries whom I'm really close to, was sealed to his family, and he acted as proxy for his father when his parents were sealed. Oh, the Spirit was so strong in that sealing room. I also went through two more endowment sessions.

The day before yesterday, we were able to go across to the temple and teach people there about the plan of salvation. It was a little awkward at first, but, oh how sweet it was when we got into the work! I taught the section on the atonement of Christ. That was the first time I've truly understood it! We can't comprehend it, but we sure can understand the love that our Savior has for us! The feeling I had inside was amazing, and I truly felt the love that my Savior has for me. I talked to Brother Orlando there who plans transportation for visiting groups so I told him about the first ward visit that's coming up over Thanksgiving.

My MTC teachers are really great. My two favorite teachers are Brother Cardino and Brother Lozano. We have a rowdy district but they are really nice and patient. They truly show us the Christlike love that each of us should have within us. The kitchen staff is treating our district really well. They know we don't like fish so they cook curry and other dishes specially for us. Elder Shewe, my companion, is growing in the gospel but it still gets frustrating at times because his English is bad and he doesn't understand much. His knowledge of the gospel is severely limited too. I'm learning to be more patient.

We've watched a few videos here, two of which I've already watched, The Restoration and The Testaments. When I watched The Testaments this time, I really felt the Spirit. It's wonderful being surrounded by people who are so eager to serve the Lord. I am proud to wear my name tag each day. It's wonderful being surrounded by people who are so eager to serve the Lord. I am proud to wear my name tag each day. As much as I love the MTC, I can't wait to get out into the field. The other video that I really loved was a devotional that Elder Bednar gave on becoming a missionary. He said that there are many people who serve missions but never become missionaries. We are on a higher plane as we serve the Lord. I hope that you young men will prepare to serve a mission worthily. Know that the Lord loves you and wants you to serve Him. Trust Him and not in the arm of flesh. Another thing that Elder Bednar talked about was about how we should go home at the end of our missions but never leave the mission field. We also learnt about retaining new converts. I've come to realize how important that is.

Take care and God bless!