Love, love, love

Selamat tengah hari everyone,

First, our usual internet place was closed, so we went to a different one. It's really slow and kind of sketch...so sorry, no pictures this week because I don't want to get a virus on my hard drive or camera...but like all internet places in Malaysia, this one is also dimly lit, has that faint smell of cigarette smoke, and there are Malaysian men ages 15-50 playing CoD/WoW and swearing at their computers haha. This is the life.

Again, most of my pictures from my jalan-jalan to Singapore this week consist of the inside of the airport...but they're pretty great. I love that airport. There is literally everything to do there. If I wasn't a missionary, I would totally take advantage of the free internet, free video games, and everything else, but for now we just explore the terminals. I braved the butterfly garden again this week (it was terrifying) and visited all of the indoor gardens and koi ponds. Changi airport is legit. Oh and there are free massage chairs. That was nice.

I hopped on a kapal terbang Thursday morning with Sister Hawea and Sister Parcell. We ran into Elder Ormsby because he had a layover in Kuching from Binutulu, and he was really sad to leave his first area. I said good-bye to Sis Parcell at KL's airport, which was hard because she's been in my mission since she's been here. She's the sister missionary in all my pictures who looks like a Victoria's Secret model. She has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. It was nice to catch up with old friends.

When I got to Singapore, I contacted people on the MRT, just like old times. I swung by Sister Hansen's apartment and she went with me to drop off my bag at the chapel. I acquired a Slim Jim from Elder Ormsby (his mom always sends him the best packages) and I was carrying it around the chapel. I saw the APs doing a training in the cultural hall with the new missionaries, so I pressed my nose against the glass and waited till they saw me. They completely lost it in the middle of their training. It was so funny. I walked in while chewing on my Slim Jim and Elders Toney and Robinson were stoked because the old 3rd ward crew was back together! (This is the part where I'd attach our "Awkward Hands" picture). I asked Elder Toney if he was excited to be a normal missionary again, and he said, "Yes...except I'm nervous to train. I've never trained before. Do you have any advice?"

I rolled my eyes and told him if he can jaga all the missionaries as AP, he can train just one missionary. "Don't tell them you don't actually know what you're doing until about halfway through their training." Haha I crack myself up. Elder Toney said he met my new comp, and she's awesome. I went to the train the trainers meeting that night and as I sat there listening, President Mains talked about how important new missionaries are (they have more faith than we do) and how their trainers were picked by inspiration. It was a testimony to me that President and Heavenly Father really do trust me. And even though I feel under-qualified, God qualifies me. For a while I was nervous and wondering WHY in the world I was training again. Like my dad said, ""She is getting her third trainee (new missionary) in a row. She must be pretty good at it......OR they are going to keep giving her newbies until she gets it right!" But really, training a new missionary is the most humbling thing. You learn a LOT from them. Obviously Heavenly Father is still trying to teach me something haha.

I went to the hotel (the same one I stayed in my first night in Singapore) and the older sisters brought the new ones back to the chapel in the morning. They were still exhausted but I loved each of them immediately. I just wished I could let them sleep and prayed that they were happy. We had more training for the new missionaries, and as President Mains addressed all of us, I really felt how much he loves us, and through that, I felt how much God loves and loves all of us missionaries. I teared up a little, it was weird. During the testimony meeting, I bore a quick testimony of that experience, and how when we find out we're training, we feel privileged and excited to meet the new missionaries. I said we love them instantly. I also said this is God's work, it cannot fail, therefore, they cannot fail. I talked about how I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and how grateful I am for Him, and the opportunity we have to share this good news with everyone.

After that, we got to meet our new companions, and I met Sister Fonbuena! She is the most gorgeous girl ever, half Filipina, half American, pandai playing classical piano, studied chemical engineering at BYU, patient with me, ready to jump in and do missionary work. Her Malay is AMAZING for how new she is. We're gonna get along just fine. I don't know why I've been blessed with the most amazing companions ever, but again, I'm not complaining. She's teaching me more (on how to be a Christlike person) than I could ever teach her.

Conference was good. Did you all notice the not-so-discreet theme of missionary work? This work is important! All of you, share the gospel with your friends! Make bringing people to Christ the most important thing to you.

Hmm a couple things from last week's zone conference: Elders Bester and Reynolds sang "I Need Thee Every Hour" for the musical number. I whispered to Sister Bourgeois, "Those are our elders!" and we both teared up a little. They are both so hard working. They are wearing themselves into the ground for this work and every once in a while we have to tell them to slow down. The first thing President Mains said when he addressed us was "My heart swells with love." He LOVES his missionaries. As he spoke, he could barely say the words because he was choking back tears. He didn't talk about what we needed to better, he just expressed his love and gratitude for us, simple, dorky, punk kids. I heard that when he was at a mission president's conference in Hong Kong, being trained by Jeffrey R. Holland, he bore his testimony and said "As much as I love being with you other mission presidents and the general authorities, I can't wait to get back to my missionaries." He would rather hang out with us than Elder Holland. That blows my mind. A little thing that I easily could have missed was that he takes notes on all of our talks and testimonies and trainings. He's a really smart, successful man, way more spiritual than all of us missionaries combined, way more experienced in all things pertaining to missionary work and the rest of the world, and yet he takes notes on what we have to say? Talk about humility.

Another little thing I noticed during Elder Toney's and Elder Robinson's training (on how to love less active members back into activity and really plan for them weekly and daily) is that Elder Toney's copy of Preach My Gospel is waterlogged and almost completely destroyed. He uses it so much that it's falling apart. That's how much he loves this work and that's how much he loves the people in this mission.

I loved Elders Gualtiers' and Elder Snyder's departing testimonies. Elder Gualtier was pretty sarcastic (as usual) and threw in a couple Eminem quotes. But then he talked about how much he loves the people in this mission and made all of us cry. He's this Utah Hick with some of the most beautiful Malay in the mission, and as he got more emotional, his hick accent came out. Elder Snyder said, "I want to give my whole soul to this work." I can't believe they're home now, they had such a long time left when I met them.

Anyway, I still love being a missionary. Sorry for the lack of pictures. See you soon <3

-Sister Wynn