Well, May 1st was my halfway mark, a year ago from May 3rd, I opened my mission call and was SO surprised I wasn't getting sent to Japan or Ohio, May the 4th was May the fourth (we were going to take "May the fourth be with you" lightsaber pictures but Sister Fonbuena and I had a rough day yesterday) and today is Cinco de Mayo so Sister Hales made us pancakes. No one here celebrates any of those but we're pretty good at making our own fun.
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| Pankcakes |
Can you believe I'm halfway done with my mission? Me either, I still feel like a rookie. But I've learned over and over that God qualifies us, and I'm usually doing all things better than I think I am.
Funny story from today: As we were walking into the internet kedai, a bunch of school kids were hanging out outside. A couple of them told me, "Heeey you're so pretty" and then proceeded to say some sketchy things to me. I walked by them and ignored them. They didn't see Elder Bester walking around the corner. As he walked by, he gave them a death glare. Sister Fonbuena said I should have seen their faces. They were so scared haha.
Yesterday was rough for me. After church, we finished studies, yelled "Let's go thrash the nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ" and rode our bikes into the sunset (like we usually do) and we went through the roundabout by Stutong. There was a lot of traffic and we had just missed seeing a guy on a moto get hit by an SUV. He was already on the sidewalk, missing a shoe, and some people were trying to help out. As I got closer, I saw blood all over this man's hands and a huge gash above his eyebrow. I asked if we could help and one of the guys just said, "Ay, where you girls from?"
I rolled my eyes and said "Dekat sini."
Then the man driving the SUV and the guys with the guy on the moto started yelling at each other and it was one of those moments where the Spirit tugged at my heart to get out of there. So after a few failed attempts at calling Elders Bester and Reynolds, we biked away after the cops got there. After we turned a corner, I asked Sister Fonbuena if we could pray, so we prayed for the man and for everyone to be okay. We also thanked Heavenly Father that we've never had any accidents in that roundabout. It was humbling to think about how many times I don't even think about going through that roundabout, but if cars can't see people on motos, how can they see two tiny girls on tiny bikes in the dark?
We went to our appointment, and all of the extended family was drunk and yelling. I thought how crappy of an environment it was for a 13 year old, 11 year old, and 6 year old. Our little family took us next door to their peaceful, humble little house and we had a nice lesson but I was kind of sad the whole time. Then we went back because Matina wanted us to say hi to her husband Peter. That morning she said she couldn't come to church because Peter had an accident at work. We went in and he was sitting there with a bandaged face and his leg was covered. I felt so horrible. We shared Alma 7:11-12 and reminded him how much God loves him. He gave us His perfect son so He could take away all the pain that comes from how hard life is. Then he asked if we wanted to see his leg, and the inner nurse in me said yes. He uncovered his leg and there's this huge metal apparatus screwed into his tibia. Poor guy. We're going back tonight with the elders and some of the brethren from church so they can give him a Priesthood blessing. It was a hard bike ride home. I'm still pretty sad.
So yes, missionary work is hard. But if it takes these hard experiences to learn how to love people, to grow closer to my family, and to learn how to work hard, then it's all worth it in the end. But there are also really good times. I've never laughed harder than I have here. Last P-Day, we didn't have time to go to the mosque, so a bunch of us rode to the Sarawak museum (it was closed) and climbed trees. I got eaten alive by mosquitoes but it was well worth it. Look at the pictures of Sister Fonbuena and I dancing around our house like dorks.
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| Dancing like dorks... |
Life is so good. Yes my mission is half over, but I'm not counting down the days, I'm counting up.
Here's to more jungle adventures, more laughs, more tears, more fun, more drawing people closer to Jesus Christ. Our message is too important not to share. I'm grateful for every day I've had to tell people they have a Savior, and that we have an Atonement.
-Sister Wynn
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